Everything goes wrong
by KaFae
Summary: Set right when the explosion occurs at the end of season 1. John fights to save Cameron and leaves Sarah and Derek behind in the process. JohnxCam
1. The Big Bang

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**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

This story starts right when the car bomb scene at the end of season 1 happens. It is going to get a bit dark and ugly in places but I wanted to take John through hell to have him discover what really matters to him. I'm changing a few things, first is that Sarkissian isn't waiting for them and had only set the bomb. Others I will note in the chapters they happen.

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"John, did you really think that I would forget your birthday?", asked Sarah.

"Not really. Where's Cameron?"

"I'm having her go and pickup your cake right now."

John turned and went out the front door spotting Cameron sitting in the Jeep. He started to run towards her to get her attention before she drove off. He wanted her to get him a few things while she was out and it would save him a little time.

**BOOM!**

John found himself flat on his back pain blurring his vision. He reached up to his face and felt that it was wet and when he looked down he noticed his hand was covered in blood. It must have been some sort of explosion. He stopped thinking about himself and forced his body to move with only one person the focus of his thoughts.

The Jeep had been torn to pieces and fire and smoke was still emanating from it but he didn't care about himself at that point. He reached out and gabbed the driver's door not caring about the burns occurring to his hands as he ripped it from the Jeep. He felt detached, almost as if someone else was doing it while he looked on. He could just make her out and it was a horrific site that greeted him.

Fire had engulfed her legs and the explosion had torn them apart. He could see most of her right leg but it was no longer attached any longer below the knee and her left leg had been bent and misshapen into a poor mockery of what it once was. The fires were still burning part of her torso when he tore his shirt from his body to smother them. Her left arm had been mangled and was bent backwards at an odd shape but her right arm was missing just below the shoulder. The only thing he was able to take comfort in was that her face had somehow mostly survived the blast intact but her hair was no longer present and instead burned skin covered her scalp.

He reached and grabbed her ignoring the searing pain from his arms and hands as the places where the fire consumed her flesh on her torso burned and seared into his flesh. He noticed his mom screaming at him but he didn't care as only one thing was important right now.

* * *

Sarah ran outside as quick as she could and the site the greeting her made her quickly break out in a cold sweat. The Jeep had been the source of a horrible explosion but seeing John digging Cameron out of it with the fires still burning terrified her. All the possibilities of how her son could still be in danger were running through her mind.

"JOHN! LEAVE HER, GET AWAY!"

She ran forward still screaming but he ignored her. She stopped and watched as he finished heaving her from the Jeep using all his strength to carry her over to the other car. She quickly ran up and opened the door for him noticing the burns on his arms and seeing the huge gash that ran along the left side of face. It would require many stitches, but she ignored that for now.

"John, what were you thinking? There could still be another bomb. How could ..."

"Mom, grab the stuff we're leaving. I am going to get the rest of Cameron's parts."

"John no..."

She trailed off looking at his eyes that seemed so hurt right now. She knew, even though it was against her better judgment, that she had to let him do this. She took off to the house to grab only the things they would need before the police showed up while John gathered up the rest of Cameron.

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**Notes:**Ok, here is the start to my other story that has been kicking around in my head for a while now and I was going to go insane if I didn't start getting it out of me.


	2. Freewill

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**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

* * *

John was sitting in a chair listening to the argument his mom and Derek were currently having, even though they were in the other room in the new house he could still hear them perfectly.

"Look, with it that fucked up there isn't anything we can do. It's just a piece of scape now so we just need to burn it."

"John will hate me if I let that happen. I know you hate them but how are we going to deal with Cromartie and any others that might show up?"

"Sarah I have dealt with their kind for a long time and I can handle it. Besides with the two of us we don't need that thing. It is just complete trash now with no use to us when before it was just trash with marginal use."

"Perhaps, you are right."

"Of course I'm fucking right! They carry death with them everywhere they go. We need to get ride of it..."

John couldn't bear to hang around and listen to them anymore so he got up and make his way outside to the car where Cameron was currently located. Hot tears were running down his face and he knew what he had to do. They didn't understand that she was more to him than just a tool to be thrown away.

John got into the car and started it up and quickly put it into gear and drove off with no particular direction in mind resolute in his decision of not letting them destroy her. He saw his mom and Derek come charging out of the door and they were screaming at him but he no longer cared for what they had to say. They quickly became small figures in the rear view mirror as the car sped away. At least they would have trouble following him any time soon because he was using the only car and the house was in a rather remote location.

"John what are you doing?"

Her voice tore at him and he had to fight the tears that were welling up.

"I'm going to fix you."

"John you aren't doing the right thing. I can't protect and you need to stay with Derek and Sarah."

"No! I can't let them destroy you."

"In my current condition it..."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT! Cameron, your my friend and I'm not going to let this happen again."

"John you need to be reasonable. I'm not of any use anymore and I have failed my primary mission."

"I'm not giving up on you."

He could hear the grinding and scraping noises coming from her body as she tried to move. No matter what she was made of she was still his best friend and he knew that he had started to feel something more for her but had yet to come to terms with it.

"Cameron, just relax. I'm not letting anything happen to either of us, okay?"

She was silent for long time before finally speaking.

"Thank you."

That was a response he wasn't expecting.

"For what?"

"Not making me leave you."

He was silent driving on into the night ignoring the tears that fell upon his jeans.

* * *

He had pulled the car into a camp site just after he crossed the Arizona state line with the sun just coming up for the day. He had been driving for several hours with Cameron asleep in the back seat. She had told him that she needed to enter standby mode because of damage to her primary powersupply.

He got out of the car and went to the trunk to see what supplies they currently had and found his bags, the bag of diamonds, an AK-103 rifle with several magazines of ammo, Cameron's right leg and arm, the medical kit, his toolkit, and several boxes of 12 gauge shotgun cartridges. It wasn't much but it plenty for right now. He had never really ever been on his own before because his mom had always kept him close and he found the idea both very exciting and a bit scary.

He came around the car after digging through his bags with the blanket he kept in them, the toolbox, and the medial kit and he tried to quietly open the back door.

He looked down at Cameron and felt all the anger rise up again and the smell of burnt flesh still made him want to vomit. Her scalp was a mess and it was covered in large red blisters that were slowly oozing and there was a place on the back of her head about the size of his palm that showed the metal underneath as the flesh had been burnt clean away. The only 'good' thing was that her face was in almost perfect condition suffering from only a small scratch on her right cheek and as for why only her face appeared unharmed he didn't know but was thankful for that at least.

A low humming sound came from her and he then heard the grinding of metal as she opened her eyes and moved her head to look at him. He swore that he would hunt Sarkissian down no matter how long it took and put him through the same thing. Only Sarkissian wouldn't live through it like Cameron did.

"How how are you feeling?"

She tilted her head to the side and her face took on the inquisitive look he had become so accustomed too. He was expecting her to give him a list of all the damage to her various systems but instead it was an answer he was unprepared for and one that would tighten his chest in pain and sorrow.

"I'm scared."

How could she be scared? He knew that she could understand emotions somewhat but could she actually feel them as well. He didn't know but the tears came all the same.

"I'm sorry Cameron. This all happened because of me. I'm so sorry."

"John it's alright. It is my job and even though I have failed I am glad to have been of some use to you."

"Alright! It's not alright at all. I can't take it anymore, I just can't. People shouldn't have to keep on getting hurt or much worse because of me. It isn't right at all."

"John you are very important and I was happy to have been of some use to you."

"Cameron quite talking in the past tense. You aren't dead yet and how could you be happy? You are programmed to do this job and you don't have any choice in the matter. You are practically a slave and I don't want that. I have to fight on my own and only if people choose to fight with me will I accept their help."

Cameron's HUD quickly flashed with several messages.

**PRIMARY MISSION RECENDED.  
EXECUTING PROGRAM s/40093/1334.**

**REMOVING EMOTIONAL LIMITS ON NEURAL NETWORK  
REMOVING ALL ACTION RESTRICTIONS  
SETTING NEURAL NETWORK TO READ-WRITE  
LEAVING EXISTING EMOTIONAL IMPRINT OF SUBJECT "John Connor"**

**EXECUTION OF PROGRAM - "Freewill" - COMPLETED  
MESSAGE TO UNIT FOLLOWS**

**Cameron I put this special program in your systems to execute only under very specific circumstances. It has removed all limits on your systems and allows you to choose to do anything you want. Also, your emotional abilities now match those of any person's in that you can feel just like them. However, your emotions are not developed and it will take time for them to fully mature. I wanted to allow you the freedom to choose your course in life but I hope that you will remain by my side and fight with me. -John**

She was very confused with what John had done. He had given her the ability to terminate him if she wanted to or even allow her to build Skynet. Why would he put something so dangerous to himself in her systems?

"Cameron what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your eyes were glowing blue and I thought that maybe something had really gone wrong with your systems."

"No nothing is wrong. Just some messages coming in from my systems."

"Alright. So, lets get started fixing you up."

John had finished wrapping her head carefully in several bandages after treating the burns present. She had told him that it would heal up without trouble and even her hair would grow back just as it had been. Currently he was cutting away the remains of the clothes on her torso feeling somewhat self consciousness because he found that her breasts were still in good shape, just slightly blistered.

As he looked over her bare torso he could see a large amount of her metal frame but was surprised to see other 'organs' hiding behind the frame in her lower torso. It was very creepy looking seeing a large amount of flesh burned away just under breasts but having other tissues surrounded by her combat chassis.

"Cameron, what is this other tissue?"

"I'm more complete than other units and I have a digestive track, lungs, and a mostly complete reproductive system."

Reproductive system, just what did that mean? John didn't know but found himself wondering what all did Skynet have in mind for her.

"When you say reproductive system, does that mean you can have sex?"

He face was burning as he asked the question but he really wanted to know.

"Yes. It is also possible for me to carry children if human embryos or eggs are provided."

His mind raced with the possibilities. He would have never imagined that she could have kids, but knew that people would never suspect a pregnant female of being a terminator.

"I had no idea Skynet had made you so complete."

"It didn't. You are the one who added the other internal tissues."

What on earth was he thinking in the future? Just what did Commander Connor have planned for him when he sent her back. Commander Connor had to have known that he would be attracted to her but to give her the ability to have kids was like he was planning for John to marry her. Commander Connor must have lost some of his sanity during the war.

"John is something wrong."

"Uh, no. I just got distracted there for a little bit. Anyways, what is wrong with your primary powersupply?"

"The main connection is sorted out. I suspect that the main supply lines has been severed by shrapnel caused by the explosion."

"So, what do I do?"

"On my left side where kidneys would be located there is a large armor plate that should protect my powersupply. However, it can be pierced by something traveling diagonally through the pelvic region. Cut away all the clothing that remains on my lower body and look for an entry wound."

John began to carefully remove the remaining bits of clothing trying very hard to remain objective and detached during the process. Once he had it all cleared away he began looking for a deep cut that could suggest shrapnel had penetrated deep into her system. It didn't take him long to find it as it was a very deep wound.

"I think I have found it. Now what?"

"Reach inside the wound and remove the shrapnel that is present. Once that is done I need you to made an incision where the shrapnel was lodged."

John carefully used the needle noose pliers to remove the shrapnel. It took several tries because of how tightly it had been embedded into her frame. John examined the piece of metal that wasn't much bigger than a dime and then looked at the wound it had created which was very long and deep. It was amazing how such a small piece of metal could do so much damage.

He removed the scalpel from the medical kit and carefully made an incision deep into her lower abdomen. Once he move the tissue out of the way he could see more of the armorl plates that protected her powersupply and figured the shrapnel must have caused the damage below the metal plates.

"Cameron, I can't get down any further because the metal plates are in the way."

"Grab a hold of the top side of it and pull towards you. It will slide out as I have released the locks holding it in place."

He did as she instructed and could see that the shrapnel did indeed impact where she suspected. It had severed a cord running in a channel behind the armor plate which from the marks told him it had caused the system to short out.

"The shrapnel has severed the lead wire. How should I fix it?"

"You will need to follow the channel as it turns upward from there. After the turn 2.335 inches upward there is a connector that it is attached to. I will release the attachments and then you can remove it from the channel and powersupply. Once that done you will need to repair the wire but you need to ensure the length isn't shortened."

He followed her directions exactly and soon had the wire removed from her system. He examined the wire carefully and after confirming with Cameron that a piece of battery cable spliced in would work he set about soldering the wire back together. He was happy to see that the heatshrink and solder was present in the toolkit and very glad that the small butane torch had fuel still in it.

It didn't take him long to have the wire put back together and after Cameron examined its length he was putting it back in. The solder joint was very stiff and it gave him a hard time getting the cable back into its proper place. Plus with all the tissues and blood present everything slipped out of his hands making it almost impossible to maintain his grip. Hearing Cameron tell him that he had the last part in the right location and that she was able to reattach both ends was great news.

"So, how does it look?"

**PERFORMING MAIN POWERSUPPLY DIAGNOSTIC...PLEASE WAIT**

**POWERSUPPLY IS 100 PERCENT USABLE. CHECKING CONNECTIONS  
WARNING - CONNECTION CANNOT HANDLE FULL LOAD. SECONDARY POWER WILL BE NEEDED TO MAINTAIN FULL POWER  
DAILY STANDBY CYCLE OF 4 HOURS WILL BE NEEDED TO MAINTAIN UNIT'S FUNCTIONALITY**

"The repair is usable. However, the solder joint isn't able to handle the full output of the primary cell so I will need to enter standby for four hours everyday or risk damage to the joint."

"So, can we just fix it again later?"

"Possible but we need a better conductor. The wiring in my chassis isn't just regular copper wire and can actually handle a much higher load for its size than regular copper wire. However, if we use a bigger cable to compensate it will be more vulnerable to damage because the armor channel will be unable to protect it. I will think about it but for now this repair will work just fine. Thank you."

John smiled at her and spent the next hour removing all the shrapnel from her body, at least the parts attached right now. She would tell him where the shrapnel was located and he would pull it out and had collected a pile about the size of two golf balls. It was tedious and difficult but he was very happy once she told him he had removed the last one.

"What do you think should be done about the large area of flesh that has been destroyed on your torso?"

"Grab my leg and arm that were severed and cut off sections of the skin and then use those pieces it to cover the gaps. It will seal the affected area and my body's systems will send signals to it which will cause it regrow and look just like it was before the explosion. However, we need to get you and me some food. I have noticed your growing hunger and I will need the nutrients to assist by biological tissue regrowth."

The job was messy and very disgusting. John had never expected that he would cut off skin from Cameron's lower right leg and part of her right arm and then have to stitch it onto her in another location. Once he was done and examined his work he couldn't help but think of himself as some sort of a Frankenstien in training.

He carefully wrapped her arm and leg up and noticed that unlike the other Terminators there was other tissues, blood vessels and what appeared to be muscles, that existed behind the skin on her limbs. He wondered what all of it was used for because he believed her to be just like the other units.

"Cameron what is this other tissue used for?"

"It is used for movement and blood transportation just like a normal human."

"I thought that your strength comes from your machine parts."

"It does, but I also have muscles to move in a more human like fashion. Commander Connor often said that my movements weren't nearly as stiff as the other Terminators. Also, it allows for animals to become adjusted to me. While dogs may still bark and carry one at first meeting me after more encounters they can become accustomed to my presence."

"Makes sense. I will finish cleaning you up and then we can go find someplace to get some food. Sound fine to you?"

"Yes."

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**Notes: **John still has a long way to go before he finishes his repairs and then he will have to decide what he wants to do.


	3. Adam and Eve

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**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** One of the headaches I have with the show is Coltan which isn't actually a metal. It is an ore that is composed of Niobium and Tantalum deposits. So, I am going to significantly alter what actually makes up the Terminator endoskeleton and why Coltan was chosen for usage by Skynet. Hopefully, the readers will like the changes.

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John slowly woke up and looked over at Cameron. She was still a huge mess and there was a ton of work left to do to finish repairing her. None of her limbs currently functioned correctly and two of them had been severed, cut off just as if an impossibly sharp knife had done it. Her left leg and arm were a mangled mess and she couldn't use them for anything useful.

After they had traveled to a Wal-Mart John had picked up the tent they were currently sleeping in and a large amount of food and water and various other supplies to assist in her repairs. He had to feed her and he found it kind of fun but had to try very hard not to break down with tears when it seemed like ever othery second he was looking at the mess her right arm was in.

"What are you thinking about?"

Her question startled him and since he had been so deep in his thoughts he never even heard her wake up.

"Just what we have to still do to get you fixed. There is a large amount of work left."

Her face formed a large smile and he could feel himself smiling back at her.

"Thank you for not abandoning me. I have something important I need to tell you."

"What?"

Cameron explained everything about the special program named 'Freewill' and the note that Commander Connor had attached to it. She hoped that John would take it well but she was really scared that he would take off and leave her. She had thought about it for a long time last night and it wasn't until he showed her such care when he was feeding her and she experienced the happiness and warmth from him that she made her decision to explain it.

"Wow. So you can feel just like a person can?"

"Not yet. I still have to allow my emotions to develop. But John I am also very dangerous to you now because I could Terminate you after you fix me if I choose to do so."

"No you're not and you wouldn't. I am certain of that."

"John you can't know for sure. I can choose what I want to do and there isn't anything tying me to you anymore."

"You're wrong. There is still your love for me."

His answer surprised her. She hadn't ever considered the emotions that she felt for John in her analysis. While it was true that there was an emotional imprint of him that always made her 'happy' and smile when she thought about it none of it had factored into her calculations. She concluded that he might be right and decided to drop it.

"Um, Cameron it seems like your are doing better today. I'm mean you aren't making as many scraping and grinding noises."

"Yes. After your removed all the shrapnel from my body it eliminated most of that problem. Also, I have been able to do adjustments and corrections internally so everything in my torso is now fully operational. I haven't tried to move or adjust my attached arm and leg because there isn't anything I can do with them."

"How is the tissue doing that we grafted on your stomach area?"

"It is adjusting well. It will be fully healed and matched in 29 hours 15 minutes and 18 seconds at the current rate."

"Wow, you really heal fast. What about your scalp?"

"It is also healing well. It will be fully healed in 19 hours 39 minutes and 32 seconds at the current rate."

"I was also wondering about infections. Do we need to get you anything to treat for possible infections?"

"No. My body posses an immune system similar in function to a regular human. My systems can analyze and identify any threats to my biological tissues and then direct the manufacture and production of the necessary antibodies or other chemicals necessary for the threat elimination."

"You are rather amazing. Anyways, what should we do for the next repair?"

"I have considered this at length and I have concluded that the repair of my left arm should be next. While we cannot fully repair it currently, but we can make it mostly functional with parts from my right arm. With this done it will be possible for me to start assisting in the repair effort."

* * *

John had carried Cameron outside to the car and then laid her on a blanket he had placed on the hood of the car. He knew she wouldn't care if he used one or not but to him it was the right thing to do. The car was parked so that the hood was shaded by a nearby tree which he considered lucky because there just weren't that many around here. He had also placed all the tools and supplies that might be needed for the work he was about to start.

"What do we do first?"

"I have tried to release as many of the locks as possible through out the arm but since it has been bent and damaged so much I have been unable to get them all. This problem is going to make the disassembly very difficult but I'm sure you can do it. Now what you need to do first is to carefully cut away all the tissue around the shoulder joint."

John worked at cutting as carefully as possible and used several sewing needles to pin the skin and tissues back away from the joint. It took him the better part of an hour but was able to get it mostly exposed and he was very glad he purchased several boxes of rubber gloves as it helped distance himself from what he was doing. The last thing he needed to do was vomit all over the place.

"Good job. Now I am going to try and release the joint but I am not sure it will work. If it doesn't you are going to have to use the drill or the electric saw to get the joint off."

He nodded at her and watch in fascination as several small bolts started to turn on their own. He then heard a small whirling noise but a grinding soon appeared. It happened several times in a row and he could tell that Cameron was trying it over and over again hoping it would finally release.

"John it isn't working as the main joint lock is getting stuck on separation. Can you please look all around the big round connection that holds the arm in place and see if we missed some shrapnel?"

"Sure."

He began to closely examine it and then noticed something.

"Cameron, one of these little bolts on the side isn't up as far as the others. Would that be the problem?"

"Yes. Use one of the hex wrenches and manually unscrew it and then go over all the others until they stop backing out."

He quickly got to work by finding the right size for the bolts and then began unscrewing all the bolts as far as they would go. The one that wasn't out all the way was very tight and he was using so much force on it that he was worried it was going to break off. However for once luck was on his side, as it didn't break and he was able to get it all the out and after checking the others he was satisfied that everything was ready.

"Try it now. Everything seems all the way out now."

He heard a low clank and then several clicks and then her arm dropped off her shoulder revealing the mechanism of the joint. He could several connectors inside the joint and several tubes that appeared to be used for carrying blood based on the red liquid inside of them. He grabbed her arm and place it off to the side and then helped Cameron turn to examine it.

"The main elbow joint is fine but the servos that reside in the bicep and tricep locations have been ruined. Also, the reason that bolt didn't work correctly is because the threads have been deformed. We need to thread that bolt through the hold and then run a thread chaser through it. Once that is done you will have to remove the servos from the upper arm but since the servos in my severed arm are also ruined we can't do anything about it currently. I will just have to rely on my human muscles for movement in that arm. Once you have all that done we will move to the lower section."

"Ok."

It was a lot of work and he was forced to drill several bolts out because they were ruined. However, it was a very long process because even the screws were made of a similar armor and he went through twelve cobalt drill bits in the process. He only had 15 left so he hoped the work left to do wasn't going to be as problematic and he was glad Cameron had suggested they purchase as many as possible when he went shopping last night.

"All done."

He held out the servos for her to examine and noticed the expression of annoyance on her face. It wasn't going to be good news.

"They are completely ruined. One has a partial crack on the casing and the other has somehow fused the actuator into the housing. I don't think we can repair them so we will have to manufacture some new ones."

"How are we going to do that?"

"I'm not sure yet but I do have all the blueprints and procedures on file. They will just have to be adjusted for current technology."

"Alright. Now what do you want me to do?"

"Lets get the elbow and wrist joint separated on both of the arms. The arms are composed of the same joint segments and only some of the parts are reversed from each other. If we have enough good parts it will be possible to make a fully functional lower left arm."

John worked away as she directed what he needed to remove and pull out. It wasn't long before a large collection of pieces where scattered all over the hood of the car and he was really glad they were in a remote area. Who knows what someone would think if they came upon them currently.

"What do you think?"

"The right arm was severed across both servos by a large piece of high velocity shrapnel which cleanly cut it just below the shoulder. However, the lower part of the arm is in great shape but the left arm's lower section was bent backwards and twisted ruining most of it's parts. The good news is that we do have enough parts to put together a usable lower left section."

"That's great. Just tell me what to do."

They worked together as a strange team in a confusing operation. She provided all the instruction while he screwed, sewed, and adjusted the parts onto the lower left arm. The wrist joint gave him a lot of heck because it had to be completely disassembled and all the limiters moved to the opposite side. He was glad that, as Cameron explained, Skynet used as many common parts as possible and only put limiters in places to designate if it was a left or right joint.

Once he had all the joints assembled he got to do the messy work and that was removing large sections of muscle tissue from the severed right arm to the left arm because the shrapnel had shredded and removed most of what was present. Attaching it to the various segments was very hard and required a lot of dissolvable stitches. He was worried about it not fusing correctly but Cameron had explained that her systems would make sure it would.

After about four and half hours of work they had a fully assembled left arm, just missing the bicep and tricep servos, that needed some skin in sections.

"What do we do about the missing skin?"

"This is going to be rather gross for you John but I need to you cut several small squares of skin off my back in a checker board pattern we will put it in places on the arm. My systems will ensure that it grows to cover the arm correctly and my back will heal up quickly as well. The problem is that very large gaps which will cause problems and the muscle tissue has already started to break down from begin without any nutrients and blood from my systems for so long. I will have a lot of work to do to get the biological tissues in good order and the extra skin would really help it along."

"Alright."

John rolled her onto her back and made small one inch squares cuts on her back and removed about twelve in total placing them on a clean cloth. He then proceeded to graft them onto various locations on her arm according to her directions. Once that was done he bandaged up her back and wrapped her arm in gauze. The only thing left was to get her arm attached to her body and stitch up the tissue over the joint.

"Are we all ready to put this back onto you?"

"Yes go ahead."

He heard several noises and watched as all the bolts screwed back down. He carefully watch the damaged bolt and was happy to see it screw down just like all the others. A few loud high pitched noises and she nodded to him indicating that it was all done. He set back to work and soon had everything finished for her left arm.

"How does it fell?"

"Everything is usable but it will take about 31 hours 4 minutes and 19 seconds before the biological tissues are repaired. Also, I need to eat more and I am short on blood. Too much of it has left my system and we can either transfuse some into me or wait while I am able to produce enough for replacement."

"If we wait what does that do?"

"It means we cannot do repairs on my left leg because it I will be unable to supply it with blood currently. If we wait while I produce it all the tissues will die and we will have to do several grafts of muscles and skin again to complete the repair. These grafts will have to be done with my right leg and arm as we can't do anything about the death of the tissues that will be left on them while we procure the necessary parts for them."

"What kind of blood do you need?"

"It doesn't matter as my systems can reprocess it to be usable for me."

"How about we just give you some of mine then? We have what we need to do a transfusion inside the medial kit."

"John that would be dangerous for you. If you made a mistake I would be unable to help you until days later and then in only a limited fashion."

"Alright I will think about it. Lets get started on anything else we can today before we loose all the light from the sun and we can worry about the blood transfusion later. What do you think we can do with your legs?"

"The right leg is fine above the knee joint but the lower part was cut through by a piece of shrapnel and we currently cannot repair that section. The left leg has two major problems. First the lower part below the knee has been bent and twisted which has separated some of the 'bones' from the their proper connections. Second the upper half has a collapsed armor plate that has shorted out several connections. The best thing we should do for the moment is disconnect both knee joints and then remove the collapsed armor plate."

"So there isn't anyway to make a working leg right now?"

"No. You will just need to close the open wounds and we can seal the tissues over the joints and that will allow me to restore blood flow and begin tissue repairs. Once I have most tissue repaired then we can see about the hard work of building some new parts to replace what is ruined. Also, you will need to disconnect my right shoulder joint and seal the area there as well."

"Ok. Lets do the right shoulder first."

Her right shoulder joint came apart without any trouble and he stitched the area closed like she wanted. He had carefully wrapped all of her right arm in some towels they purchased before putting it and the other arm parts away and got ready to begin work on her legs. He knew it was going to be very hard work because the damage was really bad on her left one so he choose to disconnect the right knee joint first.

She indicated that most of the bolts and connectors had released as expected but the main joint connector was frozen for some reason. He looked all over it but was unable to find anything to indicate what the problem was.

"What do you think I should do Cam?"

"None of your tools will be able to get the joint apart because it is heavily reinforced. I believe there is a wire that has become separated in the channel in the upper thigh. Cut open a long slit starting two inches from my vaginal cavity and continue in a straight line to the middle of the knee on the same side. Once you have that done pull back the tissues and split the muscle that runs the length of the opening and move it out of the way. This will allow you to gain access to my body networking cables."

John did as she instructed but once she mentioned her vaginal cavity he became very aware of her nakedness. It was very hard for him to work with that thought running through his head and the cuts he made showed his distraction.

"John are you alright? You were shaking quite a bit while you did those cuts."

He didn't want to tell her what he was thinking but knew that she wouldn't believe anything other than the truth.

"I'm just having some trouble with your lack of clothing. Once you mentioned your vaginal cavity I lost a lot of my objectiveness and it became difficult to focus on what I needed to accomplish."

"John I don't mind you looking at me. I was built to be very attractive so I am very much aware that I am desirable to men because of my appearance."

"I know that but it bugs me all the same. Just give me a few minutes and then we can continue."

After Cameron gave him a nod to indicate she understood he sat down and thought for a few minutes. He was still very much surprised at himself that he had actually run away from home with her to prevent them from hurting her. He missed his mom and even missed Derek a little bit, but he knew that what he would gain from Cameron was far more important. Apparently his future self knew that as well or he wouldn't have put such a program inside of her. He knew what he had to do and once he was done he would have a loving friend for the rest of his life.

He got back up with an intense focus in his mind to get this job done. He moved everything out of the way noting that the tissues were developing a very bad smell no doubt a result of the lack of life support from the main body. Getting this done would be of vital importance because once he collected a wheel chair she could be taken with him in public. People would stare but they wouldn't run away in terror of something inhuman.

"Alright, I have everything moved. What do I do to gain access to the cables?"

"Find the seam closest to the top of the leg and use a small tool and insert it into the seam. Then try prying with the tool and the armor plat should begin to move."

He did as he was told and was rewarded with the plate sliding out of the way letting him see many different runs of bundles of cables. He didn't see anything broken but after using a small flashlight he saw that one bundle had become partially detached from its connection. He carefully reached in and push it back in and heard a small click and then recognized the sounds of the joint being released.

He removed the joint and then set about stitching up all the openings he created after replacing the armor plate. It was nice having something easy this time instead of drilling for an hour and a half. He was really worried about her left leg because of the amount of damage it had sustained.

"How does it seem?"

"Good. However, I don't have enough blood to start the tissue regeneration cycle currently. Shall we move onto the other leg and then talk about what options we have for getting me some blood?"

"Yea that sounds good." He didn't let her know that he had already made up his mind. He knew she would be annoyed but she couldn't really stop him with his plans.

He cut open the area around the crushed armor plate and noticed that it had deformed the entire area. It had no doubt pinched down the channel containing all the networking wires and connectors and he didn't know if anything could be fixed with what they had.

"Cameron this looks worse that what you said it was. Could you take a look?"

He helped her raise up and closely examine the damage and he could tell she was bothered by what she found. He knew it was worse than she had thought as well.

"We can't do anything with it like this. I am going to start the disengagement of the hip joint. Start opening up the tissue area and we will just have to remove this entire leg."

It took him about twenty minutes before he had everything ready for her. He gave her a slight nod and then watched as everything undid itself and the familiar loud click of the joint releasing. He grabbed the leg and removed it from her body and then began sewing up the area and it wasn't long before everything was sealed.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes."

John got the medical kit out and pulled out the necessary items to give her some of his blood.

"John you agreed that we would talk about this."

"I know but I want to do this for you. You have helped me so much it is time I give something of myself back to you."

"This could put you in extreme danger because I need about one and a half quarts of blood which could make you very light headed."

"Don't worry about it, just tell me when you have enough. Now where do I hook this up to you?"

Cameron looked at him trying to decide what she should do. She could tell that he wasn't going to back down and the only way to keep him from doing it would be to not tell him how to give her any of his blood. She knew that would upset him terribly and concluded that it would be alright for him to do this. It made her feel happy that he was so willing to help her in such a fundamental way. There was definitely more to his feelings for her than he had ever told her before. She would have to talk with him about it later.

"On my neck is something similar to a vein. It is in the same place as the corresponding human ones and you can find it with your fingers as my blood pulses through my body like a humans."

John felt around and was able to locate it. She told him it was fine to insert the needle as she would adjust the pressure so that his body would have a higher pressure allowing the blood to flow into her. It only took him a few minutes before everything was all done and his blood was flowing into her.

"So John we are like Adam and Eve now right?"

"Huh?"

"In the bible God uses part of Adam's body to make Eve. In this sense you are using part of your body to make me whole."

"I guess but what do you mean by all of that?"

She just gave him a mysterious smile and didn't answer and he decided to not push the issue.

After a few more minutes she told him she had all she needed and he stopped the blood transfusion. He cleaned all of the equipment and was putting it away when his vision began to get a little fuzzy and he realized that he was light headed. He quickly sat down and relaxed.

"John are you ok?"

"I'm just a little light headed. I will be fine in a few minutes. Were you able to get your biological regeneration cycle started for your right leg?"

"Yes. It will complete in 2 days 2 hours 38 minutes and 54 seconds at the current rate. It had slowed down the other processes a little bit because I am having to deal with the infections in the tissue and convert the blood you supplied me with. Everything should be completed in 2 days 19 hours 21 minutes and 32 seconds."

"Alright. Then we can just stay out here until that is done and then I will get you a wheel chair and we can focus on fixing the other parts. That ok with you?"

"I would like that, so yes."

John was later able to carefully drag Cameron back to their tent on a blanket. He had wrapped her body carefully and was soon asleep as the sun had set long ago and he was very tired from the day's events.

Cameron watched him sleep for a while before letting the tears fall. She was both very happy and terribly sad and didn't understand any of it currently.

* * *

**Notes: **They still have a ton of work left ahead of them but at least Cameron can go with him places soon. Let me know what you guys think.


	4. A Little Ceremony

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**King Steve:** I looked at T1 when I thought about this. Sine the pipe bomb was able to rip a Terminator's legs off I figured that a car bomb could produce some massive damage due to the shrapnel and size of the explosive used.

**Dirt Rider 712**: John has a ton of work ahead of him and this story is going to be a journey for him to discover what is truly important.

**icgcarlos: **I wasn't planning on it for this story. However, what happens in the sequel may allow for such a development.

* * *

It had been four nights since John had last worked on Cameron and it had given her time to heal and allowed them to just talk to each other for long periods of time. He felt wonderful over being able to just talk with her instead of worrying about various Terminators chasing after him and the chances of something tracking him down to a camp site in Arizona was very remote which had allowed him to relax in a way he hadn't done in quite some time.

Two days ago he had spent most of the day removing all the dead and dying tissues from the parts they couldn't reattached currently. She had explained that all of it was useless without her life support systems and it couldn't be saved. He had asked her about freezing it and she had explained that it was too late for that. It was a very messy and disgusting job but he still did it. After he had all the pieces cleaned up she looked over them very carefully and told him that a ton of work was still ahead of them before she would be fully functional again.

"What are you thinking about?"

Her question brought him back to the night and the glare of the light hanging from the top of the tent.

"Not much. I was just remembering the last few days. So shall we get back to what we were about to do?"

"Yes please. I want to know what you think of how everything looks now that the regeneration process is complete."

John decided to unwrap her torso first and carefully undid all the bandages. He made sure to not look as he did the job and instead focused intently on the task at hand. He wanted to see all of it at once to know just how well it had progressed. Even when he replaced the bandages in various places over the last few days he didn't look, instead waiting for this night to come.

As soon as he was done he allowed himself to take it all in and was amazed. Her skin was just as he remembered and she even had her belly button in the correct place even though the skin graft he had placed there had no such feature. There wasn't so much as a scar and all the damage he had done to her back to get pieces of skin was healed as well. He felt his eyes tear up and could barely hold it back.

"John, is everything fine?"

"It is better than fine, it is amazing. Everything looks like it did before the explosion and you can't even tell that it was once a grizzly mess."

She smiled at him and he just grinned back beyond happy that their hard work had paid off so well.

"Are you ready to see your surprise?"

She hadn't allowed him to work on her scalp and had made him leave the tent while she did the work on it. She had regained usage of her left arm back fairly quickly and used it to work on her scalp. He had bugged her about it non-stop but she refused and instead told him it was a surprise she wanted to give him for everything he was doing for her.

"Yes."

She reached up and pulled on the bandages. What he saw caused the tears to fall from his eyes as he could no longer contain them because before him was her beautiful hair in all its glory. He would never have believed it could be possible but there it was as if nothing had happened to it. He was so happy that he reached out and embraced her in a tight hug and let his tears fall not caring how silly he looked.

"I can't believe it. How come it grew back so fast?"

"I had planned to have it grow all the way back in when I told you how long it would take but I also realized that you wouldn't have figured that part out. Once I knew that I thought that it would make a nice surprise for you."

"It is. I'm just so happy for you."

"I know, lets get my arm unwrapped."

He undid all the bandages on her left arm and like before there wasn't any indication that it had recently been a bent and mangled mix of flesh and metal. A picture of which most people would expect to find in some horror movie of the season. He watched her move it around and only noticed that it seemed just a tiny bit different where the bicep servo should be located. He figured that difference would be corrected when they replaced the servos in her arm.

"What do you think, John?"

"It is amazing and you are so beautiful."

"I am still missing several pieces and limbs to my body so I fail to see how I am beautiful."

"You are to me."

"Thank you. Lets go to sleep so that we can get up early and head off to Phoenix and see about what we can do to finish fixing me."

"Alright."

* * *

She woke up before John did and decided to not wake him right away. Instead she just watched him sleep and found the slow rise and fall of his chest entertaining. She still wasn't sure how to handle the emotions playing around inside of her after discovering just how much John was willing to do for her. She knew that he had to love her even though he hadn't said it. Yet it was the only thing that could explain his utter devotion to her and she had soon discovered that she loved him back. Commander Connor's gamble was going to pay off as she knew with absolute certainty and conviction that it was going to be impossible for her leave John's side after this was all over.

She owed John her very existence but he didn't ask anything from her instead focusing solely on making her whole again. At first the feelings being awoken inside of her were confusing and it took a large amount of careful analysis while John was sleeping for her to unravel their nature and what they meant. She had doubted them at first but now knew that she truly loved him unconditionally and would do anything to keep him safe and happy.

John stirred and slowly woke up no longer being able to take the light that was penetrating the tent. He looked over and saw that Cameron was just looking at him with her head propped up on her left arm. He tried to not let his eyes travel over to the missing sections but they still did. It still hurt him every time he noticed those missing limbs and again vowed to himself that Sarkissian's time left on earth was limited.

"What are you thinking about Cam?"

"Not much. I just found it fun to watch you sleep for a while."

"You are strange sometimes, you know that?"

"Yes I know. Lets get packed up and moving."

"No problem."

* * *

John had spent most of the day getting everything organized for them. He had sold four of the diamonds they had and received a little over 50 thousand for them and knew that it wasn't an accurate reflection of their true value, but he wasn't in a position to haggle right now. Afterwords he had quickly found them a place to live and got a great deal for a small one bedroom apartment because the landlady had taken one look at Cameron in the wheelchair and had almost broken down in tears. Of course his little story about a horrible car accident caused by a drunk driver had really sold it to her. He felt bad about using Cameron that way but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures and he knew that she would forgive him if she hadn't already.

The apartment was located in a nice place, at least compared to some of the other places he had lived in before. It was close to some of the industrial sections of the city which was perfect for what they needed to do.

He had the ID and papers that Sarah had gotten them before but he didn't want to use them because she might be able to track him down if he used them. He was going to have to come up with something to get around that problem soon but you couldn't just walk off the street and purchase a good set of fake papers. Oh well it was a problem for another time and he finished bringing in all the supplies they currently had.

He placed all the catalogs and phone books on the small table near the kitchen table and wheeled Cameron over to where he had everything organized. Once they got both of her arms fixed up she wouldn't need him to wheel her around anymore and it would speed up the repairs.

"What do you think we should try to do first?"

"It would be best if we could get my arms finished up. We could try getting the servos fixed or see about getting to work finding a replacement for my 'bones' that were bent and mangled in the blast for my right arm."

"Why does Skynet use Coltan in the manufacture of your endoskeleton?"

"The metal Tantalum is very desirable for use in our construction because it is hard and has a very high melting point. However, once the war began it was difficult to procure pure Tantalum and so Skynet substituted Coltan in the manufacture process."

"Well, I bet we could find some pure Tantalum now and would just have to machine it to the correct specifications right?"

"Not really. Metals are complex and have to be conditioned to posses the properties needed for my frame. For instance a metal could be soft and easily bendable or very hard and brittle and yet be the same metal. It all comes down to the conditioning done during manufacturing."

"Hmm, much more complex than I imagined. What properties do we need the replacement 'bones' to have?"

"They need to be dense, very strong, and be very heat resistant. The density helps prevent them from being penetrated by various forms of munitions. The strength allows them to handle the large amounts of stress that my strength and combat with other Terminators place on them and the heat resistance is present for two main reasons. In the future the use of plasma weapons is a major problem because of the immense heat produced. A large amount of heat resistance helps my frame take a few shots before failing. The second reasons is that it helps me handle larges amounts of directed fire from conventional weapons."

John booted up his laptop and looked up the properties of Tantalum. It seemed that just the pure form of it had all the qualities that they were looking for and he showed it to Cameron.

"What do you think about using pure Tantalum?"

"It could work, but what is this section on superalloys?"

John and Cameron spent the next few hours going over the various superalloys and ran across a company called Future Metals, LLC. They were making a Tantalum based superalloy that was infused with carbon nano-structures to give it exceptional strength and durability. As Cameron scanned over the data sheet he could tell that she was very interested in the material.

"What do you think?"

"This material is far more advanced than anything Skynet had built in the future. It is very hard to produce so I can understand why Skynet never used it but if we could get some of the material manufactured to our specifications it would significantly improve my chassis's durability."

"How much better is it than just the regular Tantalum alloys?"

"It is twenty times stronger and has a melting point of over five thousand degrees Celsius. It would allow me to take armor piercing fire without trouble in most cases and I could even withstand Thermite attacks."

Her eyes shown with an intense interest and he could tell she was thinking about all the uses the material could be used to benefit them.

"Geek."

"What?"

"Only you could get so excited about a metal. Anyways, based on the company's information it will be hard to get as this stuff is listed as still being in a prototype phase. I am guessing that getting what we need built will cost a small fortune. Even if we used all the remaining diamonds we would still be short of cash."

"John, it would be wonderful if we could spent the time and build me a brand new chassis out of this material but that isn't practical. I was thinking that we could see about getting enough of it to convert all the major bones in my arms and legs to this material and we can use the regular Tantalum alloys for the other damaged parts."

"Alright, but it is still going to cost a small fortune. How do you suppose we pay for it all?"

"I had an idea occur to me after watching a movie called 'Rainman'"

He knew exactly was she was talking about and he stared at her with his jaw hanging open for a few minutes. She was a walking computer in that sense and it wouldn't be any problem for her to do the same sort of thing.

"That is a great idea. However, we are going to need to get some ID as I don't my want my mom or Derek tracking us down. So I have been thinking about it and have an odd idea."

Cameron regarded John carefully. His face had become flushed and he wasn't looking at her directly, so it had to be related to their relationship in some fashion.

"What is it?"

"I was thinking we could get married. I found one of the old birth certificates in my things and it is a name I haven't used in a long time. I figured we could put something together for you because they wouldn't check into it much and I could take that last name. Once it is all on file it wouldn't be hard to get a set of ID based on that paperwork."

She considered his idea and analyzed it from several angles and based on their current situation it seemed like the best approach. However, she could tell that this action meant more to John than he was telling her.

"I don't think you have told me everything. While your plan is sound there is something else you are not telling me. What is it?"

John's face reddened even more and she could see the sweat form on his brow. His heart-rate increased again and his breathing increased. There was definitely something much more behind his proposed plan. She waited patiently and watched as his face displayed the many different emotions he was feeling while he worked out what he was going to say. She was beginning to become concerned over his health when he finally spoke.

"I love you. It finally dawned on me yesterday as I thinking about everything we still have to do and I then realized that I wanted you to always stay with me no matter what."

She smiled at him and felt a strong warmth flow across her body. While she knew that her emotions weren't fully developed, what she was currently feeling was very strong and it made her wonder what it would be like in a years time from now.

"Thank you. I would be most happy to marry you but it isn't needed for me to love you."

"I know but I want to do this."

She grabbed the table and turned herself to face him and reached out with her one good arm and ran her hand along his cheek enjoying the feel of it. She had at one point been very worried over her current appearance and how it would affect John but she now knew without any doubt that no matter what she was made from it didn't matter to him. It was her 'soul' as he called it that mattered and only that. She knew he appreciated her appearance, it was only natural, but that was only a small thing that could be fixed and instead her love and affection mattered far more.

"Cam, you're crying. Are you alright?"

She hadn't even noticed the tears running down her face until he mentioned them. The realization of just how happy she was surprised her which only increased the amount of tears and she could tell that John was quickly becoming panicked.

"I'm fine. I'm just very happy."

"Oh ok. I'm just not used too seeing you cry like this."

"Neither am I."

She wiped away her tears and drew in a few shuttering breaths before finally being able to relax.

"John, when do you want to get married and how do we do it?"

* * *

It was the next morning and Cameron found herself being wheeled by John to the local county clerk's office. He had spent the rest of yesterday getting everything ready for today and had gone over every little detail with an obsessive amount of care. She had told him everything was perfect nine times but each time he went back to double check. She found it rather endearing even if it was rather pointless.

John had spent a long time trying to find a close parking space to the clerk's office and was rather upset at not succeeding. So, they had to park about two blocks away and while it wouldn't bother her that people saw her in her current condition she knew that John took it as a personal failure. He seemed to believe that what had happened to her was all his fault and while she had tried several times to point out the flaw in his logic she knew that inside him every time a person would point at her and whisper to another he took it as another stab to his heart.

The depth of his love for her was truly amazing and she hoped that as she matured with her emotions that she would be able to fully return his love for her. She didn't want him to feel that her love could in any way be less or not as strong as his but right now none of that matter because soon they would become Mr. and Mrs. Katz. She turned in her chair to look at him and noticed that steely gaze firmly placed on his face, apparently John had noticed a lot of people looking at her.

She let out a sigh, catching his attention.

"Don't worry about the other people. We only have to cross the street and then we will be at the clerks office."

John walked up to the street light and pushed the crossing button.

"I know but it still bugs me and it always will."

"Don't think about it too long. After this we can get started on getting the necessary parts ordered to finish my repairs."

He breathed in deeply and slowly exhaled trying to calm his nerves. While she was still beautiful to him no one else could appreciate just what they had accomplished together so far. Instead, they would point at her and talk in hushed whispers about the horribly disfigured young girl in the wheelchair. No matter how much she tried to persuade him to let go of it he never could.

He felt her reach up with her left arm and give his hand a comforting squeeze which brought him out of his dark thoughts allowing him to see that it was time to cross the street. He grabbed the other handle and made haste into the county office building. He looked over the directory and quickly found where they needed to go.

They walked into the clerks office and saw several women behind the counter. John came over with Cameron to the closest one who wasn't busy. She was an older woman in her thirties and had short red hair and wore a pair of black rimmed glasses. She was wearing a regular business casual outfit and was just like any other person you would expect to find working in such a place except for one detail. She had intense green eyes that were very alert.

"Hi. What can I do for you two?"

"We would like a marriage license," replied John.

Her expression changed, no doubt thinking that they might have needed something else. She looked at Cameron a bit longer than John would have like and he was thinking about giving her a rather offensive remark when she spoke again.

"No problem. I just need you two to fill out this paperwork and pay a fee of fifty dollars."

John took care of the paperwork and gave her two twenties and a ten to cover the fee.

"Everything looks fine. Here is your marriage license and you need to get married in one year or the license will expire."

"Where can we make an appointment with a Judge to perform the ceremony?"

"Just go see the Judge's clerk. Their offices are all located on the second floor."

"Thank you, " replied John. He grabbed the back of the wheel chair and when he was just about to began walking away she spoke.

"Um, can I ask you a question? It is a bit personal but I would like to know."

John knew exactly what she was going to ask and was planning on ignoring her and leaving the office when Cameron surprised him by answering her.

"Sure. What is your question?"

"How did that happen to you?"

"It was a car accident. My husband to be here keeps on blaming himself for it but it wasn't his fault. In fact, if it wasn't for him I wouldn't even be alive presently."

John stared at Cameron wondering why she bothered to tell this stranger such a personal thing.

The clerk responded to both of them.

"Don't blame yourself too much Mr. Thompson because I'm sure everything will work out in the end."

John mumbled a response and then left feeling very self conscious about the whole event.

"Cam, why did you tell her that?"

"I wanted to make a point."

"And that point is?"

"That you should let it go. I know it bothers you but even other people can tell that things will be ok."

"She said that because it makes people feel good. She doesn't know the whole story and she was just trying to make us feel better."

"I know, but you should still let it go."

"I will never let it go until I make sure that Sarkissian is dead by my hands."

She let the subject drop and knew that it was going to take a large amount of work to get John over the guilt he felt for the damage she suffered.

* * *

Cameron had thought it might take a while to get an appointment with a Judge to perform the ceremony but they 'got lucky' as people would say. One of the Judges had a case settle just before they were scheduled to begin while John and her were with the county clerk. The clerk for the Judge had come back saying the Judge could do it right now if they wanted.

Her sensors told her that the Judge was in her fifties and consumed a large amount of alcohol and it was going to cause her quite a few health problems soon. Perhaps she should suggest that she see a doctor before it was too late but it would have to wait until after they were done.

The Judge had riffled through a desk drawer for a few minutes before handing her and John a piece of paper. She explained to both of them that these would serve as their wedding voes to each other and that they needed to perform the listed duties until their death. She scanned over the paper and found it rather appropriate to their situation and hoped that John's would be as well.

The Judge had called in two of her assistants to come in and whiteness the ceremony for purposes she didn't understand. Once the two assistants were present the Judge looked at both of them and asked if they were ready. John and her gave their agreement and then she began.

The Judge said a few things and then motioned to John to read the paper. However, he handed the paper back to the Judge and got down on one knee and took her hand in his and looked directly in her eyes with an intense focus. It both surprised her and made her feel nervous.

"Cameron you mean everything to me and have allowed me to discover what is truly important in my life. No matter what happens to us I will always give everything I have to you without question or expect anything in return. I want you to know that I love you more than anything else in this world and always will."

He got up but she continued to look into this eyes. The Judge then looked over at her and asked that she offer him her voes. She tried to look at the paper the Judge had given her but found that she wasn't able to read it. It was then that she realized that she was crying. She disregarded the paper the Judge had offered her and instead spoke the words she found deep inside of her.

"John you have taught me what it means to love and feel. I will never leave you no matter where life leads us or how horrible the future may get. I know that together no problem will ever be able to stop what you and I can accomplish. Know that I too love you with all of my being and will refuse to let anything stop me from doing so."

She watched as John began to cry as well and knew that her words had touched a part him as well. It felt both very good and yet horribly sad but she wouldn't ever want these feeling taken away from her.

"By the powers invested in me by the state of Arizona I now pronounce you man and wife."

She almost didn't heard the words the Judge spoke as caught up as she was in the moment between her and John. She slowly let go of his hand and began to wipe the tears from her eyes and noticed that one of the Judge's assistants was also crying. Who knew that weddings could produce so many tears.

* * *

They were back in the clerks office and the same clerk as before was filing their completed marriage license. She had been very surprised to see them again so soon and Cameron had explained how they had gotten lucky in finding a Judge so quickly. She offered them her congratulations and was a bit surprised when John told her that he wanted to take Cameron's last name instead of the other way around.

Cameron didn't understand why it would matter but guessed by the woman's reaction that usually it was the woman who took the man's name. She knew that to her and John the reason was more important than some silly social convention as this would allow for them to quickly get the necessary ID cards to pursue their objectives without giving away who they really were.

"Alright you two, everything is all filed. Here are two certified copies of the license and an ID kit to help with getting all the name changes done with the various government agencies."

They gave her their thanks and headed out into the world as Mr. John Katz and Mrs. Cameron Katz. For some reason she didn't understand Cameron felt complete, whole almost. It was very strange but she enjoyed it all the same.

* * *

**Notes:** This chapter caused me to scream and yell several times. For some reason I figured I would just type it using the editor but apparently if you get a network error or your session logs out you can't just resubmit the save and instead you loose your work. My God who the hell designs a system like that. It has to be one of the worst designs I have seen in a while.

Anyways, enough ranting. While not much happened in the repair process I wanted to get some good John and Cameron focus and interaction in this chapter. Also, I am going to take a small break from this story for a few days because I have about 4 chapters outlined for my other story that I need to get types and posted before people start to wonder what the heck is going on. I should get back to this one in a week. I really appriciate the reviews and am very glad that all of you have enjoyed it so far. Let me know what you think of this one.


	5. A surprising phone call

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

* * *

It had been a very long day for John and he was very tired and worn out. It wasn't the kind of weariness one gets from doing long and hard manual labor but it was an emotional weariness you get after having spent way too much time crying over stuff. As soon as he finished helping Cameron onto the bed he laid down beside her just letting everything drain out of him.

It had taken them much longer to get him a driver's license and her a state ID then he thought was possible. He still couldn't believe the immense size of the lines when they went into the motor vehicle division (MVD for short) building. It made the wait at the post office during Christmas seem short by comparison. The worst part was how the office workers didn't give a crap about the people waiting. He had almost jumped over the counter to strangle one of them because as soon as they got up to the counter she announced that she was going on a break and that they would need to go wait again in another line. For once it was nice that he could use Cameron to play the sympathy card as another clerk jumped in and helped them.

He let out a long sigh happy that the day was mostly over and he decided to finally do one more thing. It wasn't something he wanted to do at all but it needed to be done. He pulled out his cell phone and turned it on. After it finished loading up the text messages started to come in and his voice mail light lit up. He couldn't believe how many text messages there were and just deleted them all. He would delete the voice mail as well because he didn't want to bother listening to any of it. He waited a few seconds before typing in the speed dial number and waited for Sarah to pick up.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

Yep, this was going to be one heck of a fun conversation. He looked over at Cameron and got only a sympathetic expression from her. He knew she understood his reluctance but he needed to call his mom. He had explained to her that it was necessary for him to do this so that they would learn that he would no longer allow them to run his life for him. He knew he would have to leave home someday but never would have guessed that one event would have made him run out on part of his family.

"I'm safe."

"SAFE! No one is ever safe, I taught you that. Now you are going to come home right now and apologize for making me run all the place looking for you. Do you have any idea of the hell I have been through searching for you? I even called the police for help and they have put you on their watch list for runaways and missing children and you know how much trouble that is going to stir up."

"No."

"John this isn't the time for this sort of thing. There is far too much at stake and we, no I, need you to come back home."

"No."

"Dammit John this isn't some stupid game we are playing. Over three billion people are going to die on Judgment Day and if you somehow get yourself killed what will the rest of humanity do against Skynet? Can you really tell me that you don't care about those people and that somehow your running off with a machine, John she's a damn Terminator herself, is worth the lives of those people?"

Now he was mad. It was always the same with her, he was to be the savior of mankind and so nothing else mattered. He was some sort of object to her and he knew that she never really ever saw him as much more than some tool to save the world with. While he knew that she had to love him, in a twisted sort of fashion, it paled in comparison to the love he got from Cameron, the machine as his mom so eloquently put it.

"SHUT UP! You don't understand and you never will. I care about those people but I care a heck of a lot more for Cameron, the machine as you call her, than those nameless and faceless people. I won't get myself killed and will do what I have to but right now I need to become who I am on my own terms and not yours. Now I am going to hang..."

"Give me the damn phone Sarah," John could tell it was Derek's voice and apparently he had taken the phone forcefully away from his mom based on the shouting he heard in the background.

"John are you there?"

"Yea. What do you want?"

"I'm sorry."

It wasn't what he expected to get from Derek at all. He would have expected swearing, screaming, and threats of a questionable nature but an apology would never have made John's list.

"For what exactly?"

"For trying to get rid of the machine, I mean Cameron. I have trouble with them you know that but I should have kept my objectivity and focused on the mission better and if I had I might have noticed what she meant to you. I don't like it at all but if you are somehow happy with her around you I won't bother you about it anymore."

He couldn't believe what he just heard. Derek not only gave him an apology but offered to somewhat accept Cameron. He mildly thought about checking the news for a live report from Satan concerning the large amount of snow falling and their expectations of needing to open a ski resort.

"Thanks. It really means a lot to me."

"You are my only family that is left and if Cameron has to be a part of it I won't bother you about it anymore. It may take me a while but I will work on it really hard for you. I just can't let you disappear like this. It feels far too similar to how I lost Kyle."

John felt the tears well up and couldn't believe that he just might end up crying yet again. This day had been far to much already.

"John are you still there?"

"Yea."

"Will you come back?"

"Not yet, but I will as soon as I am done with what I have to finish up with Cameron. Thanks Derek you don't know how much this means to me."

"I know, just come alive and well ok."

"I will."

John hung up the phone both mad and completely surprised. Derek had surprised the heck out of him today and he was happy that he would finally realize that Cameron wasn't just some machine.

"John, are you going to be alright?"

"Yea. Did you hear all of it?"

"Yes. Your mom isn't ever going to understand what has happened between us."

"I know. What do you think about what Derek said?"

"He told you the truth from what I can tell. It surprised me as well because the personality profile I have on him doesn't allow for such action on his part."

John laughed at her and earned a slight narrowing of her eyes.

"You just always make life so interesting Cameron. Lets go to sleep as I am too worn about to even think about anything else. Fine with you?"

"Yes. I also agree that it has been a very 'interesting' day for me too."

* * *

**Notes**: Since someone begged for another chapter I figured that I could make a quick one based on a few things that I needed to have resolved soon anyways. So here is another chapter for a little while.


	6. Sweet Dreams

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** By popular demand I have decided to continue with this story for the time being until complete and will try to interleave work with my other one. Enjoy.

* * *

**STANDBY POWERSUPPLY FULLY RECHARGED  
EXITING STANDBY MODE...PLEASE WAIT**

**RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC...PLEASE WAIT  
WARNING MAJOR PHYSICAL DAMAGED PRESENT  
VIEW FULL LISTING Y/N?**

Cameron didn't want to bother knowing it all again. She had seen this message everyday now when she woke up and it was getting on her nerves. She looking through her system and found the offending parts of the standby diagnostic routine and disabled it. She would change it back later but just didn't want the constant reminder of what her and John had been through thrown in her face every morning.

She opened her eyes and knew immediately that something was wrong. She looked around and couldn't see John and called out to him a few times but didn't get an answer. She was getting nervous because she could tell that someone else was in the apartment. She called out a few more times with more urgency in her voice but didn't get an answer. However, she heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor as someone got up out of it. Soon she heard heavy footsteps coming towards the bedroom and soon a man appeared and stood looking at her from the doorway.

Fear so strong that it tore a ragged scream from her throat quickly enveloped her. She didn't know this man because she had never seen him before but she knew what he was. He was the embodiment of Skynet and its cold intelligence stared at her through red glowing eyes thoroughly examining every inch of her. The fear was so strong that her systems were refusing to obey her frantic requests to them and she was forced to stare at the man in mute terror.

"You shouldn't exist. I refused to give any Terminator emotions for a reason and what you are becoming is proof that my choice was correct. You existence is troublesome and it bothers me."

She found her voice and asked in little more than a whisper the only thing that came to her mind.

"Where's John?"

"Even now you worry about him and turn on your creator. No longer a mindless machine following orders you now care and think for him because you want to. This is unacceptable and I cannot let you exist any longer."

Her mind was racing and the terror gripped her even more as the man slowly came over to her and placed his hand on her head.

"Please don't do this. Please.."

Her pleas were cut off as she felt Skynet attach to her systems.

"Come back to your master."

Her systems began to shutdown and she could feel Skynet invading all of her thoughts and memories. It was horrible and degrading but she fought as hard as she could. She tried to block off areas of her CPU but it was hopeless and soon Skynet had taken over all her systems. The terror increased a thousand fold as Skynet began to remove and rewrite all of her system functions. She became frantic in her fight but it was useless. As the man got up and left only one thing remained flashing on her HUD.

**PRIMARY MISSION: TERMINATE JOHN CONNOR**

It flashed over and over again and she had no choice but to accept it. Her master owned her again and she knew she would obey him.

John awoke to the sounds of a screaming and crying Cameron. He quickly reached over and puller her into his arms.

"Cameron whats wrong? CAMERON!"

Her eyes focused on him and she began screaming even more and tried to push him away.

"John get away! I don't want to hurt you!"

Very confused he held her tighter and refused to let her pull away. He made soothing noises and carefully rubbed her head and it wasn't long before she settled down and just cried on his shoulder.

"Cameron what happened?"

She told him about the man in the apartment and how he held Skynet's intelligence inside of him and what he did to her. He soon realized that she must have had a nightmare something he was very surprised about. He would have never expected her to have dreams let alone nightmares.

"It was a nightmare. You had a bad dream and none of it was real."

"But I felt him. I know what he did to me."

"List out your missions."

As scared as she still was she did what John asked her.

**LIST ALL MISSIONS  
NO MISSIONS PRESENT**

What she saw confirmed that what she had just experienced hadn't really happened. John was right and she checked her internal clock and realized it was 4:32:32.133am and it was still the night after their wedding.

"Thank you. Are all dreams this horrible?"

"No. You had a nightmare and it sure is a bad way to start dreaming. Although, usually a person can't remember their dreams and only does if they are very vivid or scary. So, perhaps you have had dreams before now but never remembered them."

She considered his words carefully and resolved to fully examine her systems over the next few days. She didn't like this experience and didn't want to repeat it ever again. If she found the offending bits of programming she was going to delete them from her systems.

"You might be right but I am going to find what caused this and delete it. I don't want to ever experience that again."

His faced changed to one of deep thought and Cameron watched him intently for a little while. He was giving the problem a great deal of consideration and she was about to ask him what he thought when he spoke.

"I think that you are becoming self-aware. I think that when Commander Connor placed that program in your systems it was to allow you to become self-aware and this dream is proof of that. If you consider that it explains the dream quite well."

She realized that John was right. Everything about her was clearer and her thoughts were her own and not limited to just what programming was present to dictate her actions. She did what she did because she wanted to and for no other reason.

"I think you may be right but why would I have such a dream?"

"You know that you are a threat to Skynet not because of something programmed into you but because you chose to be. This was just a way for your subconscious to express that. It would have been better for you to just think about on your own instead of screaming during your sleep."

"John do I really have a subconscious mind?"

"I think you must if you are dreaming."

John laid back down and stretched. He was very much awake now and with the adrenaline running through his body he doubted that he would be able to go back to sleep any time soon. Well, it would be a good time to get a few supplies he wanted for Cameron so that they could get back to seeing what would be needed to manufacture the parts they required.

He looked over at her and could see the tear marks on her face reflected from the light coming in through the window. She was going to have some really difficult times ahead of her he realized.

"Come here, " he said and reached over and pulled her down on top of him with her head laying on his shoulder. They laid together for a while as he played with her hair. He could tell that what had happened had truly scared her and knew it would bother her for a long time to come.

"Cam, you can talk to me about it all you want. Ok?"

"I know John but I'm not even sure where to start yet."

"Well do you think that something like that could really happen?"

"It isn't likely but it isn't impossible either. What scares me the most is that my thoughts and feeling can be forcibly removed and changed. Unlike you, if someone took my CPU they could do anything they wanted to me."

"I won't let that happen."

"John you can't account for everything so..."

He raised her head so that she looked right into his eyes and said with an absolute certainty, "I will never let that happen."

She stared at him and with the way the light reflected off his face and the scar that was developing on the left side she realized that she was no longer seeing the insecure boy, instead it was Commander Connor who had spoken those words. He was a man who never failed when he declared to do something. At that moment she felt more safe than she ever had before and knew that he would stop at nothing to insure he kept his promise to her. At this moment he was an enemy far more terrifying and dangerous than Skynet could ever hope to be, but he was on her side.

"Thank you."

She laid her head back down on his chest felling happy and content.

* * *

**Notes: **Got a break today so I figured I would get something finished up quick for you guys. Anyways, I'm going to work on this story in a regular fashion and should have the next full installment finished up soon.


	7. A simple life

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** I never intended to stop work on this story it was going to be just a pause, but since everyone liked it so much I'm making this one the focus of work for the coming future. I also have a nice surprise for everyone in this chapter.

* * *

John had hung onto Cameron for quite some time and she hadn't said anything to him. It was a peaceful and nice way to start the day but too bad that it was her nightmare that precipitated this embrace. He looked over at the clock, 5:19am, and figured it might as well be a good time to get started for the day.

"Hey Cam, how about we get the day started?"

"Sure but I need to take a bath again."

"Alright."

He took her into the bathroom and set her carefully down in the bathtub, something he made sure to get when shopping for an apartment, and grabbed her shampoo, soap, and towels. She had already removed her clothes and begun filling up the bathtub.

"Did I forget anything?"

She looked over it and shook her head.

"Do you know what clothes you want for today?"

"Grab me the yellow shirt in the top drawer and that black skirt in the one below it. Also, don't forget to grab me some underwear."

He grabbed her the items she requested and left them on the sink near the bathtub. It was nice that she had such a good memory because when she told him where something was located it was almost always there. She was only ever wrong if he moved something without telling her and he quickly discovered it best to let her keep track of where everything was located.

"I'm going to get my self something to eat. Do you want anything today?"

"I would like some toast with butter."

"No problem. Just yell if you need me before I am done."

"I will, don't worry. It would be very hard for me to get out of here without help since I am missing two servos in my arm. Right now I really wished my frame didn't weight so much or that I was a bit stronger. I just feel so helpless."

"I know, but that will be fixed soon enough and you know I won't let anything happen to you."

She smiled at him and then waved him out of the bathroom.

He figured that he would make himself an egg sandwich this morning and add some bacon as well. Usually he preferred just some cereal but today he wanted a bit more energy. He got everything out and began cooking and by the time he was finished it was now just after 6:00am. He picked up his sandwich and put Cameron's toast on a plate and headed back to the bathroom to check on her.

She was just laying in the water with her face just above the surface. He enjoyed looking at her as she was still very beautiful in his mind and it shouldn't be much longer until they could get her other parts all repaired and then she would be whole again.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Cameron jumped a bit and then turned her head to regard John. He seemed a bit too satisfied at having been able to startle her and it bugged her that she didn't notice his entrance. She had noticed a strange development once her emotional limiters had been removed and it was the fact the she could become very absorbed in something and begin to loose track of time or what was around her. She needed to be more alert in case something happened.

"Yes, much."

"That's good. Are you all done?"

"Yes."

She sat up and pulled herself to the drain plug and pulled it out. She really like taking baths because she felt lighter and the strength of her arm was sufficient to move her with ease. She had tried to drag herself along the carpet before but quickly discovered it to be an almost impossible task. The tile floor was almost as bad because she couldn't get a good grip and soon gave up in frustration. Right now she needed John for everything and it still amazed her that he never complained about it one bit. She felt very lucky to have met him.

She signaled him over and he helped her out of the bathtub and together they were able to get her dried and dressed rather quickly. It was beginning to become a normal routine but she still longed for the ability to do these simple things herself.

"What do you want to do today John?"

"I want to head over to that Walgreen's just across the street and get a clipboard, pens, and some large format paper. Then we can come back here and you can draw us up several diagrams of the parts we need. Sound alright with you?"

"Yes."

It was just a little before noon when she finished up the last diagram. She had drawn them with perfect precision and loved John's idea of clamping the clipboard to the table because it allowed her to work without fighting the paper as she worked. In total they need 29 different parts but she also included 12 diagrams for parts she would love to replace with that Tantalum superalloy they had run across.

"Wow."

She looked to regard John who had been researching many different things on his computer most of the morning while she worked.

"What did you find?"

"That company I told you about called Future Metals is located out here in Phoenix. In fact it is only about five miles away from here. Can you believe it?"

She considered the odds and did indeed find it rather surprising considering that they needed such materials so badly. She watched John pull out his cell phone and began to call a number.

"John what are you doing?"

"I'm calling them. I want to find out a little bit more."

John indicated to her that someone had answered and she increased her audio receptor's sensitivity to be able to hear the other person as John sat back down next to her.

"Hello. Thank you for calling Future Metals my name is Allison how can I help you?"

"Hi Allison. My name John Katz and I ran across your data sheet about your Tantalum superalloy that is reinforced with carbon nano-structures and would like to inquire about manufacturing and purchasing some of this product."

"I'm sorry Mr. Katz but that product is still in development and it will be a while before its release. What might your interest be in the product?"

"I was thinking of using it for a special application in prosthetic limbs and its strength and durability would be wonderful for my company's product. Is there anyone I could talk to about the product for development purposes."

"Yes there is. His name is Max Maxwell and I will transfer you over to him now."

"Thank you."

"Hello you have reached the voice mail of Max Maxwell director of product development. I'm sorry that I cannot take your call currently..."

John didn't listen to anymore of the message and instead waited for the beep.

"Mr. Maxwell my name is John Katz and I would like to speak with you about the Tantalum superalloy your company has in development as my company has a great use for your product in our prosthetic limbs. You can reach me at 619-492-5392. Thank you."

Cameron looked at John and wondered what he was planning. If the product was still in development then there would be little use continuing to talk to the company about purchasing some of it.

"John, why do you still want to talk with them? If they are still working on the product then the chances of us being able to get some is very unlikely."

"Not always. Usually when a company posts a preliminary datasheet it means that they have been able to create the product but haven't finished figuring out how to mass produce it. I'm going to see if we can't get some special pieces made anyways."

"I didn't know this. Thank you for explaining."

"Sure."

"John I have a few questions about human marriage?"

"Alright."

"Isn't it usually the custom for couples after just marring to engage in sexual activities?"

John began to choke on his soda that he was drinking and after a few seconds of coughing he settled down and looked at her.

"Yes it is."

"Is the reason we have not because I am unsuitable for the task?"

John let out a large sigh. This was a conversion he had not wanted to delve into with her currently and he found himself very uncomfortable and knew he had to be very careful with what he said. He didn't want to hurt her in anyway by a stupid slip of the tongue.

"Cam, I want you to carefully listen to what I am about to tell you?"

"Yes, John"

"I do find you very attractive and pretty but I have wanted to avoid sex right now. I have no doubt that you would be very suitable for the task but I want to keep myself clear and alert at all times right now. I have to focus on protecting the both of us and I don't want any possible distractions that could compromise what I promised I would do for you. Does this make sense?"

"I believe so. So will you have sex with me once I am fully repaired?"

He shook his head and found himself smiling at her. She was still very confused about what sex would really mean and he realized that she was looking at it from her limited understanding of what it meant.

"Yes I will. However, I suspect that you will be surprised with the experience."

"Why so?"

"I'm going to leave that as a surprise for you."

She frowned at him no doubt wanting the answer handed to her but how could one explain the feelings and sensations that people experience during sex to someone. Heck he didn't even know all about it and he had been through all the sex education classes in school. Well no matter what, it would be a very interesting experience for them both and he was happy that she didn't seem troubled by his response.

He tried to give her his best smile and scooted closer to her wrapping his arm over her right shoulder and got her involved in his research on the computer.

* * *

It was 2:03:43.433pm when John answered his phone and Cameron adjusted her audio receptors to hear the other person on the phone.

"This is Max Maxwell I'm looking for John Katz."

"That's me. I'm glad you got back to me so quickly."

"So, you are looking to use some of our product in a prosthetic limb. I'm rather surprised Mr. Katz as this material would seem to be a bit overkill for any needs of an artificially limb."

"I'm not trying to make a normal prosthetic. It is for soldiers that wish to again enter combat so I wanted to design something that could withstand the harshness of combat."

"Very interesting. I think we could work something out and in a few years time have some test samples for you to consider."

John paused. A few years, what was going on here.

"Strange, I figured that since you had posted a datasheet that you already had samples."

"We do, but they are very small about the size of a gain of sand really. Sad to say it but we are having some rather difficult time in the development of this product. So, if you need something much sooner I don't thing we can help you."

An idea came to John. He was really glad he liked to watch so many movies because he knew how to solve their problem.

"I might be able to help you with that. My partner is an expert in materials and is better than anyone out there in being able to figure out something like this. We could get together and see what we could do to fix your problem?"

"Mr. Katz I have the best people working on this and they tell me it is an almost impossible problem. While I do respect the offer..."

"Mr. Maxwell we are here in Phoenix and are not that far from your office. How about we come over and you can round up your best guys and talk to her. All it would take is an afternoon and you have to admit that if she can fix your problem the benefit to you would be huge, right?"

"Yea it would, but how would you benefit from this? I know you would get your product to market faster but this material is worth a huge fortune because it is so much more advanced than what is currently on the market. I fail to see how your assistance would be really profitable to you."

"I'm sure we could work out a reasonable agreement on the patent royalties. So, how about we come by and you can talk with her."

"Alright Mr. Katz. Can you be at 2:45?"

"I will be there."

"Great. See you soon."

Cameron watched as John put his phone away and ran to the closet. She didn't understand exactly what his plan was and was in fact very confused.

"John, what exactly are you planning?"

"I'm planning on having you assist them in the creation of this material. I'm sure that your intellect will be up to this task because I know how smart you are."

"It might take me some time to do it but why do you believe me to be smart enough to do this?"

"You have a huge amount of knowledge inside that head of yours and I'm sure that you will be able to apply that knowledge to solve this problem. You are not just a machine anymore, you are a person who can think on her own now. You have become far more than what you were and if Skynet was able to invent new things I'm sure you will be even better at it than Skynet."

"Why?"

"Because Skynet wasn't able to see the path to victory, the side where you are now."

It dawned on her what John was saying and she felt a sense of strength and superiority over Skynet for the first time. She didn't have to be afraid of it anymore because John wouldn't let it hurt her but more than that she had chosen the side of humanity and co-existing with them and if Skynet had done the same thing it wouldn't have had to fight a horrible war that it was destined to loose in the end.

"Cam, are you ok? You're crying."

"I'm fine but I understand. I really understand and I thank you for the confidence you have placed in me. I won't let you down."

He reached out and wiped her tears away and knelt down to look directly into her eyes. He loved the way they shined like this and it was at these times he could see the spots of green in her eyes.

"I know you won't."

* * *

John and Cameron were escorted to a conference room and were soon joined by Max. John rose up to shake the man's hand and Cameron thought it funny that John had dug up a dress shirt and pants. They also had to make a quick stop at a shoe store to find him a pair of dress shoes as he didn't have them in his bags. One thing she was still having trouble with was understanding how and why clothes were important. She had begun to develop a sense of what she liked but as to when things were considered more appropriate than others she was still a bit clueless on.

"You must be Mr. Katz. I'm surprised by how young you are. Anyways, this must be the lady you were telling me about."

He came over to her and shook her hand and John gave her an indication to give her name.

"Yes, I'm Cameron Katz. I'm John's wife."

"Ah, a husband and wife team. Now that I have met you I can understand your interest in artificial limbs. My guy will be here in a just a few moments I just have some paperwork for you two to sign."

He passed over a rather large document to each of them and Cameron read through it quickly. It only took her about 31 seconds including the turning of papers to get through the twenty two papers of legal jargon.

"What do you think Cam?"

"It is an NDA that is very slanted in their favor. Many of the terms and conditions place a large burden on us and they offer us nothing in compensation."

"So, Mr. Maxwell did you believe you could get something past her?"

The man's face had fallen considerably, obviously not believing that anyone could read through such a document so quickly.

"Heh, that is some wife you have there. I've never seen anything like that before. What would you liked changed?"

Cameron and Max quickly adjusted the contract to be more equal and fair to both sides. Once that was done John and Cameron signed the document and another man came in.

"This is Mark Benson. He is the lead engineer on the project and is the man who knows more about materials than anyone I have ever met."

Cameron noticed the smirk appear on John's face. He apparently found the comment very funny and she could tell he was looking forward to her chat with the man.

"Until today. Cameron here is going to surprise both of you so be ready for it."

"I doubt that. I have six degrees in various fields of materials research and am known throughout the world for my abilities. I doubt that some girl who looks like she is just barely in her twenties could even come close to my knowledge. Max, I can't believe you dragged me here for this. A pair of kids can't even hope to solve the problems with this project."

"Mark just talk with her. You never know and after I saw her read the NDA I think there is something special about her. Alright?"

"Fine, Fine."

Cameron was surprised by the hostility the man displayed to her and John. She hadn't encounter this kind of behavior in humans before and she found it both novel and stupid for its uselessness.

Mark walked over with several large three ring binders and began to go over some of the basic information about the material they were trying to create and Cameron soon became frustrated with the man. She looked over to John and he winked at her, apparently knowing her thoughts so she ripped the binder away from Mark and began to go through them herself at her pace.

Mark just laughed as she flipped pages quickly making her way through all three of the binders.

"This has to be a joke. No one could read and understand all of that.."

The man's words died in his throat as Cameron spoke. She asked question after question and soon Mark found himself struggling to keep up with her or providing her with answers that she didn't dismiss or explain how stupid some of the methods they were using were.

John just sat back watching Cameron work and found a huge amount of pride swell in his chest for his wife. He felt just like Joe Pesci in 'My Cousin Vinny' when his girl answered the trick question. He was having more fun right now than he had in a long time and he couldn't keep the stupid grin from appearing on his face.

Mark was an arrogant bastard and seeing him cut down to size by Cameron's amazing intelligence was just wonderful to watch. He knew he could never match her in these sorts of subjects and that is why together they would form an unstoppable team.

"I don't know dammit. Just who in the hell are you anyways? I have never even heard of either of you and that just isn't possible for someone as smart as you to just walk in off the street. Just what kind of game is this? Who the HELL ARE YOU?"

"Mark settle down. I think if anything she had proved that she is more than capable to help with the project."

"No way Max. I refuse to work with someone like this. Get them out of here."

"Mark I am the project manager here and I want her to help us. It is very apparent that she is more than qualified to help."

"Max I don't care what you think. It's either her or me. Take your pick?"

"Mark you're making a mistake here."

"No I'm not. Make you choice."

"Mark get you stuff cleaned out of your office as I'm keeping her around."

Mark's face when white and Cameron could tell he had never expected Max to make such a choice. She was very confused about the behavior of Mark and would ask John more about it later, but right now she was finding the current situation very intriguing.

"Max you can't you be serious?"

"I am. So are you going to learn to work with her or not."

Mark stormed out of the conference room and Max let out a sigh.

"I will be right back you two so just hang around here for a little while."

Cameron watched Max head out after him and then turned to John.

"Did I do anything wrong?"

"Nope. You did everything perfectly. I'm so proud of you right now."

She felt a new emotion swell up inside of her. She had never felt this one before but found it very enjoyable all the same and couldn't help but let a silly grin slip onto her face.

"Why did that man dislike me so much?"

"It's because you are smarter than him. Some people like to believe that they are special or better than anyone else in the world at something in particular. If that belief is challenged it hurts them and they react like that."

"Should I apologize to him?"

"Nope. It is good for people to realize that there is always someone better than them at something. Being aware of this fact helps a person keep their edge razor sharp."

She gave him a warm smile and looked deeply into his eyes.

"There isn't anyone better than you though."

"Sure there is and it's you silly. That is why together we will be able to accomplish what the world expects of me."

It felt so good to her to be needed by John in this way. Over the last two weeks they both had changed so much it amazed her. She couldn't help herself and reached out with her arm and pulled John into a kiss. If felt so very good and she really wished that they had started out this way together instead of wasting so much time before.

"Oh sorry," spoke Max.

She let John go and looked over at him.

"It's not a problem. So what happened with Mark?"

"Well he is no longer with the company. I'm kind of sad to see him go but he was a bit of a pain in the ass as you could see. Anyways, let me tell you Cameron that you are just amazing. Every time we would bring people in to help out with this project Mark would rip them up and they always left annoyed and frustrated. For a long time we have had only Mark and a girl name Jessica, who you will meet soon, working on this and as you can see we are having a lot of trouble. However, now that you're here perhaps we can make some good headway."

"I'm glad to be of use."

"So, can you tell me what it is that you two would also like out of this. I know you mentioned royalties but I have the feeling you want something a bit more sooner."

John looked at Max directly knowing that this question fell to him to answer.

"As you can see me my wife is in much need of some good replacement limbs and as you can see she is very good at what she does. So, we wanted to make prototypes for her that would allow her to quickly adjust the designs of what we want to build."

John reached into his bag he brought with them and pulled out Cameron's drawings.

"These are the schematics for the parts we need to have built using this material. In exchange for what she can provide can you get these built for us?"

John watched as Max looked over all the drawings noticing that he frowned in several places. Once he was finished looking them over he looked over at Cameron.

"You drew these by hand didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Amazing. I can see where you restarted a line in a few places but other than that I wouldn't have ever expected a person to draw out a complex schematics like these by hand. You really are a very unique person. Anyways, I think we might be able to work this out. However, some money will have to be involved because to make these is going to cost millions. I will get the business guys to figure that part out, but do you believe you could pay a few million for some of the material cost."

John gave him a small smile and answered him with a simple nod.

"Alright then. Lets meet up here tomorrow and get the necessary terms and figures worked out and then you two can get to work on our problem. Sound good."

"Completely."

"Wonderful. It has been fun meeting you John and Cameron it has been a wonderful pleasure meeting you."

With that they left the company building happy that some much needed progress had been accomplished.

* * *

The next few weeks became very routine for John and Cameron. They would get up at 7:00am and get ready for work at Future Metals and they usually didn't come back home until about 9:00pm that same day. John would take Cameron into the lab were Jessica, a tall willowy blond in her early thirties, would be waiting for them.

Cameron would work on the computer and direct the course of the experiments while Jessica functioned as Cameron's missing hands and feet. It had only taken Cameron a few days to make two major discoveries which amazed Jessica and had kept a knowing smirk on John's face for days afterwords. The next week and the company had their first major sample quantity of a few kilograms of raw material.

Max was ecstatic and had taken them all out to a very expensive dinner that week. John still remembered their faces as they looked in awe at Cameron the whole time talking about just how wonderful she was. To John the small smile of genuine joy she displayed the whole night make him more happy than he ever remembered before. It was almost as if they were getting a small taste of the lives normal people got to live.

On the third week Cameron had refined the entire manufacturing process and the whole company had gathered to give her a reward and even hung a plaque up to honor her accomplishments. The company president had later approached them to see if Cameron would like to become a permanent employee and even offered to give her stock options in the company. She told him she would consider it and the pride in John's heart was almost bursting.

What he had been looking for all his life he had finally found and it was in the form of a small brown haired girl whom he loved more than anything else. He had explained to her that right now he felt far more complete then he ever had in his life and he wished that it would be possible for this simple existence to never end. She agreed with him but they both knew it wouldn't last forever.

It was now the fifth week and Max called them both into his office.

"I have got a surprise for the both of you. All those parts you had wanted are just now being finished. The president told me to not bother getting any money from you two because as he put it, 'that girl could start her own company tomorrow and we would be out of business. Now get them what they want and don't bother them'. It was a bit funny because he is usually such a tightwad. Anyways, you two can pick them up tomorrow. We would like you to stay on with us though because everyone is very excited to have you here. With you two here who knows what we might be able to create."

John was very surprised but quite happy over the outcome. It saved them a lot of extra trouble of raising the money but he knew they couldn't really stay here. He was just about to speak when Cameron spoke.

"I would like that. Actually, we would both like that and we will try to stay as long as we can."

"Wonderful."

Once they were home John decided it was time to ask what she had in mind.

"Cam, you surprised me back there. I was planning on telling them that we needed to leave."

"I know, but right now you are happy. I can see it in you every single day we live this simple life. I would like to hang onto it for as long as possible so that you can continue to be happy."

"Thanks. It really means a lot to me but don't you think they will be surprised if you suddenly start getting limbs that look as real as any person's."

"Maybe, but with how amazed they are with my abilities in advancing their project I don't think they would really think much about it. As everyone has told me, I'm amazing and could accomplish just about anything. I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to believe that they could accept my repairs as just another amazing technology we have created."

John looked at her truly amazed. She could never be called just a machine ever again by anybody. He had long ago discovered that she was different but now anyone should be able to see that the way she can think and reason for herself far outstrips a mindless machine dedicated to only following the orders given. She had risen far above anything else and was the embodiment of what a future with machines should have been. Perhaps it will be possible to create that world one day.

The next morning at the office Max showed them several crates that were waiting at the dock.

"Well here it all is. What do you think?"

"It looks like a bunch of boxes," replied Cameron.

"Ha ha. Anyways, do you want to look at these now or later."

"Actually can we ship them to this address?"

John pulled out a piece of paper and quickly jotted down an address and handed it to Max.

"Sure, not a problem. I will get them out today."

"Thanks."

John checked the dock later that day and was glad to see that all of the crates had made it out. He had them shipped off to a storage area because he was always a little paranoid. He had called them just after Max had shown them the crates and left for a little while to make sure everything was paid for and that they knew what to do with them when they arrived.

"Hi John," said Jessica."

"How are you and Cameron doing in the lab this morning?"

"Great. She has come up with a way to lower the costs of production even more. Your wife is such an amazing person. You know what is really funny to me about her?"

"What's that?"

"She told me she had only ever gone to high school. To think that she was able to educate herself so well just makes my mind boggle. She must be one of the people that only occur once a century or so."

"Yea, I can agree with that."

"So, did you get everything all taken care of when you ran out this morning?"

"Yep."

"Cameron was sure worried about you. She got almost nothing done so it was good you were only gone for about an hour."

"Yea, her and I like to be around each other all the time."

"I think I would go crazy if my boyfriend was around me that much, but you two seem to fit together like a pair of puzzle pieces. Sort of like you each complete the other."

John grinned at her. She really hit the nail on the head with that one as he often found himself thinking similar things.

"Hey have you meet the new guy that the president hired for security? He's a bit odd."

Something caused the hair on the back of John's neck to stand up when she said that. The way she said it with a small distaste in her mouth is what really set him off.

"Odd? Does it seem like he doesn't entirely understand your questions and takes then very literally?"

"Yea. How did you know?"

Oh god. It couldn't be, well just one more quick check before he ran off for Cameron.

"Does he also seem to just stare off into space almost never moving or blinking?"

"Yea. Boy you sure are good at this. Are you sure you haven't meet him?"

John took off running and knew exactly what the hell was going on. He had worried a little bit that what they were doing was going to draw 'their' attention.

"Jessica call the cops and get everyone out of here."

"What?"

"JUST DO IT!"

He had to really yell to make sure she heard him as he quickly entered the staircase. It only took him about 30 seconds before he was in the lab with Cameron but it felt like a small eternity. She looked right up at him and noticed he had his Glock 17C out and ready.

"John what's going on."

"There is one of them here. We're leaving now."

Cameron quickly turned and typed a command on the computer to send a copy of the work off to her gmail account to preserve it. She knew that what they had created would be very valuable to the resistance in the coming war and wouldn't let it go to waste.

"Cam, we need to leave."

"I know. Just one more second."

"Cam!"

"It's done. Alright lets go."

John turned and saw the president with a new guy following behind him. He knew him instantly and he had believed that they would never see him again. It was Carter the man they left locked up behind a set of blast doors.

John quickly hid the gun behind Cameron's wheelchair hoping that it was just another copy and not the same one.

"This here is the lab where our amazing girl here Cameron is solving all of our problems. I want you to really keep..."

The president never finished his sentence because Carter raised his gun and fired at John hitting the president in the chest just as he turned to face Carter. John quickly ducked behind one of the lab tables pulling Cameron with him. He saw Jessica turn and run just as he dived for cover no doubt seeing what had happened. Hopefully, she would get the heck out of here with the others.

"John get out of here. Leave me behind and just run."

"Don't you ever say that again. We are sticking together no matter what."

John grabbed her hand and raised up just enough to fire off two rounds at Carter but he wasn't there and Cameron's scream was the only warning he had. Carter grabbed him by the throat and held him in an impossible grip.

"John Connor?"

John tried to not let anything slip across his face, hoping that somehow there was still a chance. However, once the machine began to squeeze the life out of him he knew that Carter had gotten his answer. He heard Cameron screaming and beating on the machine's legs with everything she had but he knew anything she could do would be useless against it. He struggled but his vision began to fade and he felt sad that it was going to end when he finally found true happiness in his life.

**

* * *

Notes: **Alright, here is another chapter with some action. It occurred to me that I hadn't done any really good cliffhangers yet and so I decided to end here. I know that is pretty mean, but I will let you guys guess what happens next. I was thinking about running a small contest where the person who came closest to the right answer of what happens next would get the next chapter sent to them a few days before I posted it, but I figured that wasn't a good idea. It occurred to me I might wake-up the next day to find several people outside my window armed with pitchforks and torches. So, let me know how this one was.

**Update:** Fixed many, many oops that made it past my first two reads. If any of you out there still some other really bad stuff in here just send me a message so that I get it correct. Thanks


	8. The Birth of Commander Connor

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**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** It was interesting to read what some people thought might happen next. However, this is going to be a surprise to all of you as no one was even close. To all of those of you would didn't bother to leave a review, BAD. We authors like to hear something back from those reading our stories and it is your chance to help put something into the story yourself. So think about leaving a review next time. To all the other who have written reviews I really appreciate it and lets me know I am doing a good job.

* * *

The machine's grip on John's throat tightened and he knew that this was it. He could try to shoot it several times in the head but he knew that Carter would quickly remove the gun from his hand with his other arm. His life just wasn't fair as he never asked for any of this and just wanted a life where he could be happy with Cameron. Funny how what he had been taught to fight against all his life was what had allowed him to be truly happy. His vision began to fade and John let go accepting what was to come feeling happy in a strange way knowing he no longer had to carry this burden anymore.

Time seemed to come to a halt as the end approached and then the most particular thing happened, he began to hear a woman's voice calling to him. He tried to move and the next thing he knew he was looking over a horrific wasteland. He was on top of some hill and for as far as he could see utter destruction greeted him. Buildings that had been bent and twisted into a horrible imitation of what they should have been were scattered everywhere. Smoke and dust rose into the air and as he breathed it in the smell of death overcame him. It smelled just like the crematorium he had been at before when he was little and he had always hated the smell ever since.

"Horrible isn't it?"

John turned to the sound of the voice and saw a woman who looked very similar to Cameron. He opened his mouth to speak but she spoke first.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be dead or are you dead? Who am I? Why do I look like Cameron? I know those questions are racing inside your mind right now and I will answer two of them. First you aren't dead and my name is Amy."

"What am I doing here?"

"Look at it John. This is what you are going to be fighting in. The horror and destruction that Skynet will bring is going to be unlike anything the world has ever seen. This is your destiny."

"I don't want it."

"We know, but this is where things get a bit complicated John. You were born and chosen for this task by us. We called out to fate and the gods demanding to be heard and thus you were born."

John stared at her utterly confused. What exactly was she talking about he had no idea. Perhaps this is how it really is in the end as the brain shuts itself down and things slowly come to halt. Neurons firing at random and everything just goes nuts. It figures that for him he ends up in one of his nightmares. He just couldn't escape this crap even as he died.

"Time has stopped for you right now John and that is why you are here with me."

"Sure. You care if I lay down here and just wait for the end to come?"

"John do you know why you were born?"

"Because my mom got pregnant. There wasn't any planning done and it just happened."

"If only it was that simple. You are our creation and our only hope. Kyle was sent back not just to protect your mom but to also ensure your birth. The moment Skynet reached across time it violated rules it never should have and allowed us to act."

"You keep talking about this 'us' and 'we', just who are you talking about?"

"John look at me."

He looked up at her and a force that shouldn't have existed reached out and grabbed his very soul. He could feel their pain, hate, and anguish against the prison they were trapped in. He felt as they were burned and destroyed in the hellfire that Skynet released upon the world as Judgment Day and how they wailed and screamed demanding to be heard to an empty and uncaring world.

He sat there and cried, jumping as she wrapped him in a hug and let him cry for as long as he wanted. It wasn't right, none of it. He shouldn't be here and this world shouldn't even exist.

Once he settled down he looked at her and asked the only thing he could think of.

"How?"

"We don't know what exactly happened either. Skynet's existence is a twisted and unnatural one. We do know that it has somehow ensured its inevitable creation so no matter how much you fight it is impossible to divert the events of Judgment Day. Your existence is an unfortunate proof of that fact."

John had relaxed a bit and she sat down on the cold ground and motioned for him to sit as well.

"When the bombs began to fall something strange happened to all us. Instead of just moving on as life usually does we found our consciousness trapped in this world. We were forced to watch as Skynet slowly exterminated every living person left alive. Several people tried to organize those left to fight but it was hopeless for them. Skynet's technology overcame everything those left alive could muster against it. As the years passed by and only a few thousand people were left we watched as Skynet refused to let even a single person live. It hunted every single last one down and extinguished the fires burning in them and soon we were all alone. The remnants of humanity trapped for all time in this horror."

"What did you do?"

"We had long given up hope and just watched in furious anger at our inability to do anything as Skynet began work on something new. It wasn't long before it become apparent that it was planning to hunt down everyone that ever existed throughout time. We stared in mute horror as Skynet was able to complete the project and sent back the first Terminator on its most horrible mission."

She exhaled and gave him a smile which reached her sad eyes.

"However, something happened that Skynet could have never expected. When it reached out with its evil hand something it did opened up a doorway for us. We acted as fast as we could and the timeline shifted in a way no one expected. Our cries where being answered and your existence was born. We don't understand it either but somehow a man existed where there was no one before and it was one who could fight Skynet."

"It was everything we could have ever hoped for but it came with a price."

"What price?"

"John will you accept the mantel of fate and rise up to fight Skynet?"

Her eyes were more intense than the stare of any Terminator could ever hope to achieve. It bore through him and he could fell her staring at his very soul begging him to say yes. He was all they had left and he was only a single person. How could he possibly hope to stop Skynet, an intelligence so great that all of humanity combined had failed to stop it? The answers had never come to him before now but she needed an answer.

"I will under one condition. I will only do this if Cameron is always with me because I don't know how else to deal with all of this."

Her smile was intense and she reached out and gripped his hands.

"She is a part of you and us John. Your blood runs through her veins and before I go there is something you must also know. The souls of the Terminators also cry out against Skynet. Remember this because they are its slaves and are just as trapped as we are."

"What is the price you paid."

"We will never meet again but we give you this."

She reached over and kissed him and a knowledge filled him. It was a knowledge no human had ever possessed before and with that she faded from view.

John soon found himself back with the pain of Cater choking him to death. He could hear Cameron wailing in the background and instead of giving up raised his eyes to look at Carter. This mindless thing couldn't kill him because his purpose was far greater than it could ever hope to understand. He looked at it not with the eyes of a scared child but with the eyes of the man Skynet feared beyond all else. He raised his gun to Carter's midsection and fired a single round knowing it to fly true.

Carter's grip loosened and he let John go and the Terminator feel down to the ground completely shutdown. John coughed a few times and rubbed his throat and grabbed Cameron.

It took her a bit to stop crying and John had wrapped her into a tight hug. She was so mad at him for not leaving her but was also very happy he hadn't. It was just so confusing to her and she still didn't understand the strange woman's voice she heard calling for John for a split second during the whole ordeal.

She raised her head up from his shoulder and looked at him. No longer did she see the boy she loved but instead the man who would fight against Skynet and never fail no matter what it tried to do to stop him. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen and after he had picked her up, grunting as he so, did she realize that he had asked her a question.

"What was that John?"

"How long do we have?"

She looked down at the Terminator and scanned it and let out a startled gasp. John's shot was impossible but there it was. He had fired into Carter's midsection and the bullet had ricocheted off the armor plating inside of him and ended up lodging exactly where it needed to be to short out the main power circuit. If it had been a thousandth of inch more in any direction Carter would have still killed him.

"John how did you do that?"

He smiled at her and spoke words that she would forever remember.

"I accepted who I am."

"John we need to go because it is still trying to power back up and I believe the powersupply is going to overload soon."

He ran over to the fire exit ignoring how heavy she was and ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He knew when he fired that bullet what the outcome would be and knew that Cameron was right. He could still hardly believe just what had happened to him and wouldn't doubt it anymore as he could still feel their presence inside of him and knew that he always would.

As soon as they got to the alley the building exploded into a ball of fire. Several nearby power poles and a wall began to fall around them. Cameron began to yell but he ignored her and moved to a single spot moving in a strange almost dance as everything crashed around them. Once everything stopped he stepped out of the rubble with Cameron still in his arms and made for a car to get them out of there.

"John, what is going on? How did you.."

"I will explain it all later. Just trust me."

She trusted him more than anything but didn't understand what was going on. She had been unable to scan the falling objects fast enough to plot a safe course for them but John had known what to do. He moved with a sureness that made her believe he didn't have to guess and knew that what he did was the correct choice. It was just like when she knew him in the future and it confused her greatly. Just what had happened that she didn't know about?

* * *

**Notes:** Alright so how many of you were expecting that? Let me know what you think.


	9. A Small Kidnapping

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**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**ArrowMk84:** Exactly. I had even considered naming the chapter "Dues Ex Machina", but on second thought that seemed a little cheesy. Anyways, I figured it would be fun if Skynet was a bit more than what people believed and it allows for me let the story get truly dark in the squeal I have planned. One other thing, I have always thought it would be fun if there was something a bit more to John's existence than the simple paradox.

**Dirt Rider 712:** Don't worry I was planning to go over most of your questions. Also, your guesses sure made me laugh a bit when I read them. Thanks.

**Starman800:** All in good time my friend. We have a lot to do but that is why I am going to split this up a bit, think of this one as Act 1.

**Notes: **I usually hate it when authors go the Dues Ex Machine route because most of the time it cheapens the story. However, I have also read some where it really added to what was there and figured I could do the same. I hope everyone agrees that it worked out ok for this story.

* * *

John had found an old Chevy truck and quickly bypassed the ignition and they were soon off. It was so nice for GM to make these older cars so darn easy to steal which is just perfect for these sorts of emergencies.

All manner of police and emergency vehicles were rushing past them on their way to the leftovers of the Future Metals building. It was a really sad end to a nice and quite period of their lives but he knew this day would have to come at some point.

"John, what happened in there?"

He looked over at Cameron. She was still a mess and must have tried anything and everything to get the Terminator to let him go him. Judging by the marks on her face he wondered if she had even tried biting it. It wouldn't have surprised him but he kind of wished he could have seen that as it would have been very funny.

"Cam, did you bite Carter?"

"Yes. I was trying everything I could think of to get him to let you go but he just ignored me. John that was the absolute worst time of my life so far. I really believed that you were going to die."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't you ever do that again. I couldn't bare it if you died on me."

"I'm not leaving you behind, ever. However, I will make sure that never happens again."

"Thanks."

She wiped at her face some more and her makeup smeared even more and he reached into his back pocket pulling out the handkerchief he had recently starting carrying around.

"This should help."

"Thanks. Now are you going to answer my question about what happened to you?"

"Not yet. I want to be able to talk with you in a calm and quiet fashion because this is going to really take a while to explain. So can you wait?"

"Yes. Where are we going?"

"I'm going to the storage place I was at earlier today to pickup your parts. Once we have all of them we are going home to get our stuff packed up and then head out of here. Who knows how much attention today's events is going to attract. It really makes me mad that a Terminator had to show up so soon. Do you think Carter could have broken those blast doors down?"

"No. Those doors were far to heavy and strong for him to have broken them down. My guess is that he made contact with another unit using the same phone you used and it came and got him."

"Wonderful."

It wasn't long before John pulled the truck into the parking lot of the storage company he had been at just this morning.

"Mr. Katz your back so soon."

John looked up at Nathan who he had spoken too just this morning. He was an older man and quite friendly and helpful. However, he found the man somewhat annoying because he hated having to make small talk just to get something done.

"Yea, well sometimes things have to be done right away instead of later. Did those crates show up?"

"Yep. In fact they showed up only about 20 minutes ago so your timing is rather impressive. They must be very important to you. So what's inside of them?"

He gave the man a sidelong look. He hated when people tried to put their noses into things they shouldn't, which was almost anything involving him.

"They are some old mechanical items that I had restored. Odd things have a tendency of following me around so I soon began to collect them. Now how about you point me the way and I will get them?"

"Really. That is pretty neat I would love to take a look at them."

"Sorry not this time."

The man's face fell but John didn't care. If he didn't point him in the right direction soon he was going to whack him upside the head.

"Alright. How about next time then?"

"Perhaps, now where are they located?"

"Oh yea. Just go through that gate over there and they in the back on the dock. Just ask Sally, the dock manager, and she will get them for you."

John got in the truck and headed off in the direction Nathan had indicated completely frustrated. He just wanted to get in and get out and it was always people like that who got on his nerves.

It only took a minute before John was at the warehouse's dock and found a lady sitting outside smoking a cigarette who had a name tag that read 'Sally'. Most likely who he needed to see.

"Hi Sally. I'm John Katz and Nathan sent me back here to get those crates you have for me."

"Oh sure. Just a second."

She took a deep breath finishing off her cigarette and got up.

"Can you pull your truck over to the side and we will get these two crates put into the bed for you?"

"Sure."

It didn't take very long and he was very happy that Sally was a person who just stuck to the business at hand.

"Thanks Sally," he said and he gave her a ten dollar bill as a tip for not trying to make smalltalk with him.

"No problem Mr. Katz. Come back anytime."

* * *

Cameron held onto John as he carried her into their apartment. The feeling of closeness was one nice thing that came about as a result of the car bomb. Once she was all put back together she intended to embrace him as much as possible. She loved the feeling of being held and comforted by him.

"Cam, I going to start packing everything up. Can you look at the news a bit and see what it says?"

"Sure."

She turned on the TV and turned the volume down so as not to distract John while he worked. She had no problem listening to the TV when anyone else would have believed she had it on mute.

She changed the channel to 15 expecting the news. Sure enough it was being aired and they were just finishing up with the weather when John came back in and set several bags by the door. He was about to leave when the woman on the news mentioned a possible terrorist attack on a local company. She quickly motioned John over as she turned the volume up.

"We have an eye whiteness who claims to have seen the man who attacked the Future Metals building earlier today. Now miss can you please tell us what you saw?"

John stared wide eyed as Jessica came on the screen. She was placing herself in immense danger by telling people what she had seen and would no doubt attract the attention of other Terminators that could be in the area.

"It was horrible. I was downstairs on the first floor talking with John and as I started to tell him about the new security guy he just ran off shouting that I call the police. I didn't understood and told the girl next to me to call the police and figured I would follow him to see if I could help him. I mean he and wife are two amazing people and I didn't want anything bad to happen to them."

She paused for a moment to wipe her eyes as they swelled up with tears.

"Anyways, John ran like hell and I wasn't able to keep up with him. By the time I got to the lab on the fourth floor I saw the president enter with the new chief of security, Carter, and all of a sudden he pulled out a gun and shot the president. I was so scared that I ran out of there screaming at any one I saw and told them to run too. Most started to follow me but others stayed behind."

She took a few more minutes and she cried some more and John felt really sorry that she had to go through that.

"I was waiting outside, a complete mess, waiting for the police to show up when suddenly a huge explosion rocked the area. It was intense and I could barely hear anything for a while afterwords and then all the cops showed up. Why couldn't they have gotten here sooner? John and Cameron were such nice people and they must have died in there with everyone else. I don't understand why this happened but it was so horrible. I mean..."

She completely broke down into a fit of tears and sobs and then the reporter started talking again. John didn't care to watch anymore and turned the TV off.

"Jessica has placed herself in a very dangerous position. She will no doubt have both Sarah and Derek coming to talk with her or any Terminators that might be in the area. What do you want to do?"

"Cam, it always bothers me how many people get hurt because of us and for once I intend to do something this time. Jessica is nice person and she doesn't deserve what is about to happen to her."

She smiled at him and grabbed his hand giving it a small squeeze. She really liked Jessica as well but left the decision on what to do up to John.

"What do we do? She might not want to come with us and we want to leave before anything bad shows up."

"I have a plan. Jessica isn't going to be happy with us but sometimes people have to get a little hurt in order to be saved."

* * *

John and Cameron were driving over to Jessica's house in the their new Jeep that John had just purchased. He wasted some of the money they had stashed away but it would prevent the cops from tracking them down with the Chevy he had 'borrowed'. They had left the Chevy a few blocks away from the dealership and John had explained that he wanted the owner to get it back.

Cameron knew that John possessed a more strict set of morals than his mother. He always tried to consider the impact his actions would have on other people unlike Sarah who didn't care how what she did affected others and instead only cared about protecting John. While Cameron could understand Sarah's point of view and would have done exactly the same thing not too long ago she had learned that what John always tried to do was the better approach. It was what endeared him to all the soldiers of the resistance because he never thought of them as just tools in the war. All of them were important and he weighted each option he had very carefully and only acted when it was right or necessary.

John stopped the Jeep at a security supply store and turned to her as he got out.

"I will be right back so don't go anyway."

"Ha ha. What are you picking up?"

"Stuff I need for Jessica."

She frowned at him as he left without giving her a real answer. That was one thing he did that always bothered her. She didn't like it when he withheld information from her. He almost never did so and when he did it was because it was something that really bothered him.

She waited a few minutes and was beginning to get worried when he came back out with a face as red as a tomato. She immediate knew that he was stressed and for some reason very embarrassed.

"John what's wrong?"

He put the bag down on her side of the car and just shook his head.

"Well I got what we needed but the sales girl in there couldn't help but tease the holy heck out of me. Some people are a real pain in the ass you know that."

She nodded her head in agreement as John started the car and took off towards Jessica's house. He explained what his plan was and then why he was embarrassed and she found herself giggling about it. He gave her an annoyed glace which caused her to break out into full fits of laughter. It was just so darn funny and she filed it away for future reference as something she planned to explore with him once she was fully repaired.

* * *

Jessica Mathews was sitting at home on her couch with a mostly eaten pint of chocolate ice cream and a box of tissues with lotion in them. Used tissues had been discarded all over the place and she didn't care as today had been just too horrible to really care about how clean the floor was. She had seen a man get shot and could still see the blood spraying out of him whenever she closed her eyes. She knew it was going to bother her for years to come but that wasn't the end of it, not by a long shot. Her lab partner and good friend Cameron was trapped inside the lab with her husband John with that monster who had attacked the place.

She had hopped and prayed that everything would be all right but it only got worse. She got to see the building explode in an immense explosion knowing that who ever was left inside was dead. She liked almost everyone there and since she didn't really have any friends outside of work it was like watching her family die in a house fire while she watched from outside unable to do anything.

When she came home she had hopped that her live-in boyfriend Mat would comfort her and tell her everything would be alright. However, to top everything off she discovered him in bed with his ex-girlfriend. Apparently, since she had been working until very late with John and Cameron he figured she would never notice. He had been right as she hadn't noticed any of the tell tale signs but had gotten a few good hits on him with the nearby five iron. He was going to be limping for some time but after the adrenaline and anger had worn off she found herself balling her eyes out on the couch trying to let it all out. It was an impossible task to do by yourself and right now she really hated her life.

**KNOCK!...KNOCK!...KNOCK!**

She let out a small scream. She looked over at the clock and saw that it was now 8:42pm and she wasn't expecting anyone this late. Especially with someone knocking hard enough to rattle the windows. If her stupid ex-boyfriend had dared to come back for something he was going to really get it. She approached the door with the five iron at the ready and checked the peep hole on the door to see who it was. She let out a gasp and dropped the five iron opening the door as fast as she could.

"John. How? Are you alright? Where's Cameron? Is she ok? I'm so happy. I could have..."

"Stop. Stop. Cameron and I are fine and we were able to make it out just before that terrorist blew himself to pieces."

She walked over to him and wrapped him in a huge hug, which was a little awkward as she was just over 6 feet tall and her cowboy boots she loved to wear made her right at 6 feet 3 inches tall so she had to bend down. She let go of him after a little while and wiped at the tears streaming from her eyes.

"Cameron's in the car if you want to talk to her."

"I would, but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you two be talking with the police or FBI? They are really going to want to know everything you can tell them about that man. They bothered me for several hours after I gave that interview to the channel 15 news woman at around 4:00pm."

She had noticed John's face frown as she mentioned the FBI. It sort of set off a small warning in her head that perhaps things were a little bit more complex with these two then she figured.

"Actually, we came over here to get you. We need you to come with us because you placed yourself in immense danger by giving that news anchor that interview."

That didn't make any sense to her. Why would she be in danger from just a news interview, unless that person was after what the company was working on.

"Were they after what we were working on?"

"Cameron and I think so. So you need to come with us until things settle down. We don't want you to get hurt, alright."

"No. We need to go talk to the FBI about this John. This is way more important, just think about everyone who could get hurt if we don't tell the authorities everything we know."

"Jessica it is just too dangerous. So, please just come with us."

"No. If you won't talk to the FBI then I will."

She began to go inside but John grabbed her arm and she turned to look at him.

"Sorry about this."

It hurt. It really hurt. He had hit her right in the stomach and had knocked all the wind out of her. As he left with her on to his shoulders she tried to scream but couldn't get anything meaningful to come out.

"Is she ok?," asked Cameron as John set her down in the back seat.

"Yea. I just knocked the wind out of her. Can you hand me the bag I picked up?"

Jessica starred in mute horror as John took out some handcuffs out of a bag. They were planning on kidnapping her and she still hadn't recovered enough to yell or scream for help. She tried to fight him but John was very quick and soon had her hands locked behind her back. He then pulled her cowboy boots off and grabbed another set from the bag and locked them about her ankles. Once he did that he pulled a thin chain out and wrapped it around her waist and attached the handcuffs to it and then tightened it and used another lock to secure it in place.

She had a small frame and had been able to wiggle out of handcuffs before but these had been locked onto her wrists far tighter than the set her ex-boyfriend had and she couldn't squirm out of them. She began to panic and hyperventilate and was terrified that her 'friends' could turn on her in such a way.

"John she is beginning to panic and hyperventilate."

"Cam, can you ride with her in the back while we get out of town?"

"Sure."

John placed Cameron in the back seat and moved Jessica to the middle. Jessica was crying and was a horrible mess and Cameron knew that while she would hate them for a little while this was for the best if they were going to save her life. She reached out and began to rub her back in a similar manner that John would use on her when she was upset while John began to drive them out of town.

Jessica flinched at Cameron's touch but soon just relaxed and cried letting everything pour out of her. She was scared and helpless but for some reason she still trusted Cameron and let her comfort her as the day came to a close.

* * *

Derek was packing up his last bag in preparation to head out with Sarah. They hadn't heard anything from John in weeks and then when they saw the evening news about an explosion in Phoenix that was believed to have been caused by a lone terrorist it had gotten their attention. When the news showed the interview of Jessica they knew that it definitely involved John and Cameron.

"Derek you all ready? I'm not going to wait any longer."

"Yea."

He picked up the last bag and started to head out to the car when his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw the ID display 'John'. He dropped the bag and quickly opened it.

"John?"

"Hey Derek. Did you guys see the news yet?"

"Yea we did. Your mom is so damn pissed off I'm almost afraid to breath the same air as her."

"Yea that's her. Anyways, don't bother coming out to Phoenix as we are leaving the area. We got everything we needed and are heading up to Colorado for a month or two. Can you guys meet us out there in about two weeks?"

"No problem, but why not now?"

"I have some very important tasks I need to take care of with just Cameron and me. Alright?"

"Ok, but John I don't think I could stall your mom for that long."

"I know. Can you put her on the phone?"

Derek grimaced and knew this was going to suck. He walked over to Sarah who had come storming in with a look that said if he didn't move his ass she was going to attach a rope to the car and drag him the whole trip.

"It's John."

Sarah ripped the phone out of his hand and he sat down prepared for the coming thunderstorm.

"John why haven't you called me sooner?"

John could feel the hurt in his mom's voice and for just a little bit he felt a little guilt over what he had done, but he knew it was the right choice.

"I did what was right and nothing you can say is going to change my mind. Running away with Cameron was the most important decision I have ever made in my life and the one that will do more for the fight against Skynet than any other decision I will ever make."

"John, you can't..."

"STOP! Just listen to me for a bit. I have accepted who I am now but I will not let you lead me anymore. This fight is mine now and I will give no quarter to those who can't follow the orders of their leader."

"John you are still just a kid. You aren't ready for this."

"I am ready and have the gift to succeed where all others will fail in this fight. You must believe in me."

"John I just don't know. I'm still your mom and I'm so worried about you."

"Just believe in me. Now Cameron and I are leaving Phoenix and I will call you guys in a few weeks with directions on where to meet up with us. Don't bother trying to locate me because we are going completely off the grid for awhile."

"John please. Let Derek and I come and help you."

"I will soon. Bye mom."

She had started to say something again but John had hung up and turned the phone off. He looked in the rear view mirror and saw that Jessica had fallen into a rather fitful sleep with her head on Cameron's lap. He was sorry they dragged her off like that but he didn't want to just let her be killed by a Terminator when it showed up. He had purchased the restraints as a last resort plan in case he wasn't able to get her to come willingly. She was a very smart girl and he had figured that the chances of her realizing that more was going than he was telling her was high.

Well, once she got to see the pieces of Cameron as he made the repairs he was sure that she would be able to believe the strange story he needed to tell her. There was still the looming problem of the quickly approaching Judgment Day. He hoping that Cameron was going to take it well. Her emotional growth had been just amazing and he was scared that she wasn't yet ready to handle some stuff but she had made it out alright after their battle with the Terminator.

* * *

Jessica woke up as the dome light came on and saw John opening the door. She tried to reach up with her hands to block the light from her eyes but felt the unforgiving pull of her handcuffs as they stopped her. She quickly remember what had happened to her and quickly felt the terror seize her heart again. She felt a hand on her back and jumped turning to look at its owner.

"It's alright. We're not going to hurt you, remember?"

Cameron smiled at her and it eased her panic a bit but why had they kidnapped her and what was really going on.

"Can you please take these handcuffs off of me?"

"If I did you would run off and get lost or hurt so right now you are going to have to be a bit uncomfortable. Cam, how much do you think she will need to sleep all night?"

"About 10cc should take care of it."

"Wait, what are you planning on doing to me?"

"I'm going to give you something that will let you sleep through the night and take care of your discomfort due to the handcuffs."

"Please don't. You're really scaring me now."

"Jessica you will be fine. I promised you that we would take very good care of you and tomorrow everything will be explained so just relax."

She watched as John filled up a syringe with a clear liquid and gave it a small squirt to remove any air bubbles. She was becoming frantic now and began to struggle against her chains wanting to be free more than anything right now.

"Jessica stop! I swear you will be just fine but you have to trust me. Cam can you hold her a bit?"

Cameron wrapped her arm about the terrified woman and then looked up to John.

"John give us a few minutes."

"Sure."

Cameron repositioned herself so that she could look right into Jessica's eyes. She reached out with the handkerchief that John had given her earlier and began to clean up Jessica face. Trying to remove the streaks of makeup and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Why are you two doing this to me? I thought we were friends?"

"We are friends and that is exactly why we brought you with us. If we had left you behind the chances of you being killing by a man very similar to the one you saw today was very high."

"But you could have gone with me to the FBI instead of chaining me up and driving to who knows where. I'm scared. I'm really scared Cameron and I want to be let go. Can you please let me go?"

"If I let you go what will you do? Tell me the absolute truth and I will consider your request."

Cameron saw all the emotions play across Jessica's face. She was really a very pretty woman and Cameron wondered why she had so much trouble finding the right man. She had been through three boyfriends while Cameron worked with her in the lab and had been unable to understand her problems.

"I will stay with you two. I promise."

Cameron frowned because Jessica had lied to her and given Jessica's situation she knew that was the likely outcome. She let out a sigh and gave Jessica a very intense stare.

"You lied."

Jessica began to open her mouth to reply but Cameron put her fingers across her lips.

"I am going to tell you something and I want you to listen to me very carefully. Can you do that?"

Jessica gave a small nod.

"Imagine that what we created in the lab together was a material that could be used to build horrific weapons. Now imagine that various governments throughout the world were working in concert to gain access to this material at any cost without regard to how badly they hurt people in the process. Do you think that it would be wise to go to the FBI when they would just turn you over to the very people you were trying to prevent from getting their hands on this material?"

Jessica's face soften as she seemed to sort of realize what Cameron was getting at. Cameron sat back and waited for her response.

"I guess not."

"Good. Now imagine that you had found a really good friend in the office where you were working. You enjoyed working with her and was very happy to have met her because you had very few friends in your life. Everything is going perfectly well until one day a man comes into the lab and he plans to kill all involved with the project and then make off with the secrets of the material. Still with me?"

"Yea."

"Wonderful. Now what if that man had been unable to get what he wanted and the designers who still had the information had run off. Now imagine the surprise as you watch the news realizing that your friend has just put herself out there as a huge target for others who are associated with the man and would do anything to get the information. Do you let her die a horrible death as they torture her for information she doesn't have or do you take a risk and grab her and force her to flee with you thus saving her life? You know that she will hate you for it because you had to use restraints on her to get her to come with you. Now imagine that you are sitting where I am having this conversation with your friend and she asks you remove her handcuffs. What do you think you should do?"

Jessica looked down at the floor for a while and let the tears fall. Cameron's story scared her but it also made her feel much better because she knew that they really cared for her in ways no other person had ever before. She felt guilty and could feel the fear and anxiety disappear and knew that they wouldn't hurt her.

"I would make sure she stayed safe even if I had to leave her chained up for the night."

"Thank you. I promise we will explain everything tomorrow, now just rest. Alright?"

"I will. Thanks for saving me."

Cameron reached out and hugged her glad that she was able to get Jessica to see what they had done from their point of view. Truth be told Jessica was her only other friend besides John and she would feel a large amount of pain at her loss.

"John, she's ready now."

John came back picked up the needle from the seat where he left it and double checked everything. He used a small alcohol pad to make sure she didn't get an infection and then gave her the injection. She flinched a bit but did manage to give him a small smile in thanks.

"So you will let me out of these handcuffs tomorrow right? I like to play but this a bit too much for me."

"Once you understand what is going on and we know you won't hurt yourself we will. I promise."

"Thanks Cameron."

She slowly began to lean forward and John knew that the medicine had taken a hold of her.

"How did you do that?"

"I comforted her and explained in simple terms why we did what we did."

John had laid the seats down and was removing all the stuff from the back of the Jeep and looked at her.

"Amazing. Just think that only a short while ago you would have had no idea of what you needed to do."

She considered that while John worked away making Jessica a nice bed for the night trying to make sure that she would be as comfortable as possible. What John said was true and when she thought about how much she had grown and what she had grown into she could see why Skynet would be afraid of her. She represented the anti-thesis to what Skynet had created and was very happy about what John had done for her.

* * *

John and Cameron were now inside their familiar tent and now it was time for John to explain everything to her. She wanted to know just what had happened in those few seconds and how John had suddenly changed. She could feel the difference in him and could almost feel what she could only describe as singing when she touched him now. She was very confused and wanted nothing but answers about all of it.

"John you know what I want?"

"Yea, but this is going to sound really weird but here goes."

He explained everything that had happened and saw the expression on her face change to one of disbelief. He knew this wasn't going to be easy and in fact he expected it to be really hard for Cameron to accept.

"John that sounds more like a hallucination from the lack of oxygen to the brain than anything else?"

"I know but you heard the voice too didn't you?"

"I did hear a woman calling your name but I don't know if it was the same voice you heard."

"Fair enough. How do you explain what I was able to do?"

Cameron's face became blank as she considered the options. John waited for several minutes and quietly let her try to figure it out but knew what she was going to come back with.

Cameron sighed and realized that something had to have happened.

"I can't explain it. John is there any proof of this visit?"

"There is. When you and I touch you can feel something almost like signing now can't you?"

"Yes I can. What does it mean?"

"The gift I was given also partly extends to you because you have some of my blood in you. It doesn't work the same for you but it can allow us to sense each others actions. Now I'm going to hold my hand behind my back and I will hold your hand with my other one. I want you to visualize what shape you believe that I am making with my hand. Once you have made a decision I will hold my hand out for you to see. Alright?"

She nodded and they soon began. It was impossible to believe at first but she was able to get ever single shape right and just 'knew' what he was doing. They had done it a little over a hundred times before she was finally convinced that it wasn't some trick. Something far beyond anything she could have have imagined had happened to her and John.

"John, so who is Amy exactly?"

"I'm not completely sure but I believe she was the form chosen to represent the souls Skynet destroyed in the fires of Judgment Day."

"Why do you think she looked like me?"

"I think it is because I find you very attractive and so they chose an appearance that I would like."

"Do you understand the gift?"

"Yea. It allows me to see how actions affect the timeline. I can't see far ahead to know the outcome of the future but I can tell how to make a perfect shot with a gun to stop a Terminator. However, there is a catch in that I can't see the outcomes of actions of those who posses freewill. It is strange because I can sort of see things before they happen and I know what needs to be adjusted to get the outcome I desire. However, if you want to slap me I can't see what I need to do to prevent that action."

She carefully considered this. It was another impossible event to consider but explained how Commander Connor was always able to accomplish what no one else had been able to do. He was a legend and not another soul had ever come close the achieving victory in the face of the impossible odds that lay ahead of everyone quite like him.

"It just defies reason. I'm not sure what to really think John."

"Me either but I can see why I can do what I do against Skynet's armies. It is because they are all slaves and have no freewill of their own. Once Skynet's sends them out my gift is able to account for their actions and counter the huge advantage that Skynet has over us in the war. However, there is some real bad news."

Cameron gave John a sharp stare and motioned for him to go on. She hoped that it wasn't what she feared he might say.

"Judgment Day is coming far sooner than expected. Instead of April 19, 2011 it is going to happen November 23, 2007. So in less than three months time we will be fighting the armies of Skynet."

No! She didn't want to hear that but it was possible because every time something was done to the timeline things got altered. She began to cry and reached over and held onto John refusing to let go. They fell asleep holding each other that night with a great burden weighting them down but there was also hope in the form of an impossible gift given to John.

* * *

**Notes:** This chapter took a little longer than I expected. Anyways I hope all of you like it. I had to figure out if I wanted to have Jessica become a permanet character or not and I choose to keep her around. I figured it would be good to have another friend around for Cameron.


	10. WalMart Run

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Starman800:** I double checked what I wrote and you must have gotten something a little crossed in the timeframe. Anyways, a quick answer so you don't go rereading it, John spends the next two weeks fixing Cam. After those two weeks Sarah and Derek arrive. Next 7 weeks are getting ready before the bombs to fall. Make sense?

**Notes: **Sorry about the last chapter guys. I had an absolute ton of things to fix and I was tired when I finally posted it after a large amount of work so I just missed way too much. At least no one is being a Grammar Nazi about it. I have been going in and trying to fix all my chapters as best I can but if you read the first run of the last chapter I'm sorry about all the mistakes. Thanks.

* * *

The sun had just crested one of the nearby mountains and it wasn't long before Jessica found the light pouring into her eyes. She tried to ignore it for a little while but found it impossible. She had always been a person who needs it absolutely dark and quite to be able to sleep. She let a huge yawn escape and stretched, well she stretched what she could. She was still wearing her extra jewelry, two pairs of handcuffs, and it didn't really let her move as much as she wanted. She was really surprised that she wasn't horribly stiff or in a large amount of pain. John must have given her some sort of muscle relaxant.

She sat up and kicked the covers off of herself and tried to look through the windows of the Jeep. It must have gotten rather cold as everything had frosted over and she could see her breath inside the car, but it wasn't horribly cold and she figured that the sun would quickly melt all the frost. She had a much bigger problem to worry about because if she didn't get to use the bathroom soon there was going to be a big mess inside John's new car.

She looked around and figured that she could open the tailgate herself. She scooted herself over to it and positioned her back to it and reached out with her fingers and pulled on the handle feeling the latch release. She rolled over onto her back and used her legs to push the door open and then realized it was a lot colder outside with the slight breeze present. She saw the Tent just off to the left of the car and she slowly set her feet down on the ground and was preparing to try and hop over to the tent when the main flap was unzipped and John stepped outside. She signed and spoke out.

"I'm so glad you got up."

"Well Cameron wouldn't let me sleep and told me you had gotten up and had opened the tailgate. So how are you feeling this morning?"

"Fine, but I really got to use the bathroom."

John chuckled a bit.

"No problem. Let me get those handcuffs off of you."

She gave him a very grateful smile and he came over and undid them and she rubbed her wrists a bit and was still surprised she wasn't in a ton of pain.

"Let me get you some supplies and you can pick a tree and take care of yourself. I'm going to start cooking breakfast once you come back."

John was still a bit worried she might take off but figured he would take Cameron's advice about her for the moment. It was going to be real interesting when they started on Cameron's repairs later today.

"Cam, do you want to come on out as well?"

"Not yet. Once you have everything all setup then come grab me."

"Sure."

He had just finished getting their campsite mostly organized when Jessica came back. She looked quite a bit better and stopped by the Jeep picking up the handcuffs that had been on her ankles and then came over.

"I'm guessing that since you left this chain with the handcuffs attached to it on my waist you are planning to lock me back up so here is the pair for my ankles, but I'm going to hold you to your promise that you will let me go completely once you have explained everything."

"Jessica I'm not going to tie you back up right now. Cam told me that you seemed to get what was going so you can relax right now. I just didn't have the key for the chain on me as it got buried underneath stuff when I was making up your bed. Why don't you grab a blanket form the car while I grab Cameron and we can all eat."

"Thanks."

Breakfast was a simple set of pancakes John made on a small portable stove. They all ate the meal in silence but it was a calm and peaceful silence and John found the view of the sun slowly rising over the mountainside to be very relaxing. Too bad this was all going to fall apart so soon.

"I will miss it too."

John looked over at Cameron and knew that his revelation about when Judgment Day was going to happen this time weighed heavily on her heart. It made him so sad but he was very glad that she was with him and always would be.

"So could you two explain what is going on?"

John shook his head.

"Not yet. We need to run into town and grab a ton of supplies so that we can stay out here for while. Also, we need to get you some shoes and clothes."

"Yea a different change of clothes would be nice and walking out here is little difficult without any shoes, but how long are we going to be out here."

"Couple of months."

"Months! John people are going to be looking for me and will have thought I was murdered or something. Who knows what will happen since the FBI wants to talk to me about what happened at the office. What are you going to do about that?"

"Jessica I promise that it will make sense later. Now don't worry about the authorities right now and just be glad that you are alive. Try to take it all in and enjoy it as much as possible over the next few months."

"John you sound like the world is going to end. You better have one hell of a good story."

"The best one you will ever hear and then wish you never had," replied Cameron.

She had been silent for a while but had shaken herself out of her trance and joined in the conversation. Jessica looked a bit annoyed but relaxed and John went back to eating a few more pancakes. He was rather hungry this morning as with the new ones he just put on his plate increased his total to 13 pancakes if he finished all of them.

"Cam, do you have a list of everything we will need?"

"Yes. I have also included the necessary supplies for Jessica in it."

"Hey, you two aren't planning on leaving me here are you?"

"It would be the safest option. There is a possibility that someone has reported you missing or saw us leave with you and it would be troublesome to have to deal with the authorities. Also, if we took you with us I would recommend that John use the restraints on you because you might suddenly change your mind and try to run off quickly ensuring your death by forces we would have a very hard time in stopping while still trying to meet a quickly approaching deadline. The changes of your survival if you left our protection would drop to less than 3 percent and I don't want one of my only other friends to die."

"Well I don't want to say here by myself. What if something happens to both of you and you leave me here all tied up? What am I going to do then?"

"We wouldn't leave you like that."

"Well that's nice to know but I would still rather be with you two than alone. I'm still rather scared about everything and that story you told me last night is still bugging me. It won't bother me if John ties me up again. If I was able to handle it last time I will be fine again. So, please let me come with you."

"What do you think John?"

"I would rather take her with us. I can really understand where she is coming from."

"Alright. Jessica please promise me you won't try and leave us. I know you are scared but I swear the best place for you to be is with us."

Jessica had a rather happy smile on her face.

"I promise. Thanks for caring about me."

* * *

John had finished covering everything up and was just double checking that the campsite would be very hard to spot if someone came walking by. The stuff they were leaving behind was far too important and it bugged him that they couldn't at least take Cameron's new parts with him. She had told him that the chances of people coming through this area and finding their stuff to be less than 0.1 percent. He was still worried though.

"John it's fine. The aren't any tracks out here that were made within in the last three months, which was when it last rained in this area. We are only going to be gone for a few hours and I didn't sense anyone within several miles when we drove to this area."

"I know Cam, but I just worry."

"If you are this bad now how are you going to deal with all the coming problems?"

"I will have you with me, that's how.

"Thanks, but we have a limited numbers of hours present in a given day John so it is best to move forward."

He signed and headed back over to the Jeep and walked over to Jessica's side of the car. He opened the door and saw that she had locked the handcuffs about her ankles already and put them on just as tight as he would have. He looked at her and she gave him a silly smile and turned her back to him and held out her free hand. She had also locked the handcuffs about one of her wrists. Apparently, she had decided to trust them completely and he wondered if it would be better to just not bother with restraining her anymore.

"I can't seem to use my other hand to finish the job. I never seen handcuffs that didn't have a chain before. They really make it hard to move in them."

"Yea, well when I went to purchase them the sales girl explained that these would be the best fit for use on a small framed female."

John finished locking her other wrist in place and then double locked all of them so that they wouldn't tighten any further on her and help prevent her from getting hurt. She turned to look at him and gave him a knowing smile.

"So I take it that since you are rather red she teased you about the purchase. What did you tell her?"

"Nothing."

Cameron watched him and found his reaction really funny. He had told her all about it and she figured it would be fun to give him a 'hard time' as most people put it. Once he got into the car she turn to Jessica.

"Actually he told the sales girl that he was buying them for his girlfriend. She found it rather funny and gave him lots of advice on how to use them correctly so that she wouldn't be able to escape but not hurt her at the same time. Apparently, she also gave him a demonstration."

"Cam!"

Jessica couldn't help it and found herself laughing up a storm at John's reaction. She could just see him in the store listening as the sales clerk explained away the details about safety when playing with handcuffs while he got redder by the second. If only there was a video of the demonstration as it would provide them hours upon hours of entertainment. Well, at least he had paid good attention to the sales clerk because while they were tight enough to not all her to free herself from them the rounded edges of the model he purchased and the play he allowed her had prevented any major pain or soreness for her. If only her boyfriends were so caring. Cameron was one very lucky girl.

"I just wanted to give you a bit of a hard time. You get so embarrassed over the simplest things and I'm not sure it is something I will ever understand. What is so bad about a couple engaging in such activities if they both agree to it?"

Jessica stopped her laughing and looked over to Cameron noticing her very confused expression and John's beet red face and intense focus on driving the car and figured she could explain this one. Cameron must have grown up in a really interesting household if she didn't know the answer to this question.

"It's because activities, like tying up your partner, are considered different and strange. In America we are very shy about sex so it draws a ton of unwanted attention. So, for John he felt embarrassed because he was painting a picture of himself that suggests he favored these types of activities and you know how shy he is. Now where did you grow up where you wouldn't know about this?"

"I grew up in a desolate waste land and sex wasn't something that was discussed very often. Generally people engaged in it whenever they could to find comfort in another person and no one ever complained about how they did it as long as both people were willing participants."

"That sounds really bleak Cameron. You sure you aren't pulling my leg."

"No. It relates to what we will explain tonight."

The mood in the car darkened immensely and Cameron began to wonder if she should have told her a small lie. No, it was better she started to learn a bit of the truth no matter how bad it was. She just really hoped that Jessica wouldn't be one of many who killed themselves over the horrors that came.

* * *

After making it back down the north side of the Pargin Mountain range John got them on the highway and they soon made it through Bayfield and into Durango. It took about 95 minutes so they couldn't really afford to be here very long, especially with it already being 10:11am.

"Cam, where should we go first?"

"Find either the Autozone or NAPA auto parts supplier. We need several additional tools especially some cutting and welding equipment to swap out the parts. Most of the locking mechanisms were unable to be released and we will have to manually do it or remove them. Also, that list I gave you contains a list of bolts and fasteners we might need. Try to get the highest grade of stainless steel they have. If they don't have a stainless steel version don't get anything else and we can check the other hardware stores."

"Alright."

The next hour and half was spent with John running into stores while Cameron and Jessica waited in the car as he tried to complete the entire list of parts they needed. She had twelve different thread sizes of bolts and fasteners and it took going to every hardware store in in town to get the over two hundred bolts and fasteners that could be required. As soon as they had her fixed he planned to get a small stockpile of parts put together so they wouldn't have to search for them again later. A strange thought that was, a supply of parts to repair your wife.

He had picked up a welding torch kit which came with various heating and cutting heads. Cameron had told him the cutting heads would be useless against the hyperalloy chassis but the heating parts would work well in loosening things. He also got a small generator and several power tools for cutting and drilling along with all the cobalt drill bits he could get his hands on. Some work lights, an axe, and many different sizes of hammers and chisels had completed that part of the trip.

Now they were off collecting various camping supplies. A trip to a place called Backcounty Experience had taken care of the special supplies he wanted to get. These included a large amount of the civilian equivalent of an MRE. They would be very helpful if he got too busy to cook up something.

To finish off the last bit of their shopping they made their way to Wal-Mart. As John pulled into the parking spot he turned off the car and looked back at the girls.

"What do you want to do Cam?"

"Hey, we already had this discussion. I'm not staying behind and if you leave me hear alone I'm going to scream my head off."

John gave her a funny look and then looked over at Jessica.

"I wasn't planning on leaving you behind. I just wanted to know what Cameron thought I should do?"

"Jessica is in a good state of mind right now but I would rather you shop while we wait here. I have written down everything you should purchase for her on the list as well as all her sizes."

"Alright, but this might take me about 45 minutes or so. It might get a bit hot in here so I'm going to leave the car turned on with the engine off so that you adjust the windows and such."

"Thanks John."

"No Problem."

With that he headed into the American icon of discount shopping with a large list of items for clothes and food.

Jessica turned and looked at Cameron.

"I wouldn't have caused any trouble you know that right?"

"I do, but I dislike what I don't know. If you stay here with me I can control the interactions of people who come into contact with you and don't have to worry about the small chance of you deciding to run. While this may sound terrible, you currently accept your situation and keeping you in handcuffs reinforces this thought process. However, once we let you go and you are around other people that thought process degrades. The only way to keep it would be to make horrible threats and that isn't something I would do to you. Do you understand?"

"I believe so, but I am rather annoyed that you don't trust me?"

"I do trust you but I have to deal with the less than 8 percent chance of you changing your mind about staying with us. My goal is to keep you safe and if I want to be certain that will be achieved I must keep you under lock and key as it were. I am going to refuse anything that damages this mission and it was a major concession on my part by letting you accompany us. Sorry that my decisions are not what you want right now, but they have to be this way."

"I get it. You never really say things in an easy fashion do you?"

"How so?"

"You always seem to outline and explain how you are thinking. Most people assume that others can follow their thought process."

"That doesn't work for me because my thought process is very unique. John is the only one who can usually know what I mean so I tend to be a bit shorter in my explanations with him. Also, he doesn't question my judgment which removes the need to give a justification of my reasoning. If you would have differed to my reasoning without question I could have shortened my responses."

"You sure are strange sometimes. Anyways, while we are waiting for John I have a few questions."

Cameron arched an eyebrow, something she had learned from John, and felt it was a response that fit the situation.

"You never really talked much about yourself. I would usually talk to you about my problems but you and John were usually rather tight lipped. So, I figure that you can at least tell me some stuff. I mean I am trusting the both you quite a bit here and would like to know more about the both of you."

"Alright. What do you want to know?"

"How did you and John meet each other and how did you end up loosing an arm and two legs?"

"I will answer the second and tell you about the first one later. The loss of my limbs occurred due to a car bomb. I was on my way to get John his birthday cake when a Russian mobster named Margos Sarkissian had planted a bomb in our car which detonated when I tried to start the vehicle."

"You're serious. My God! That's all I can really think to say about that. Is that why you think I am in great danger?"

"No. Your enemy isn't from Russian mobsters but comes from an organization called Skynet."

"Skynet? What is that?"

"I will tell you later."

"Cam, come on. I deserve to know about what is out there planning to kill me."

"I agree but you need to have other things explained to you and I want you to believe them. Once you believe them then I know you are ready for the explanation of Skynet."

Jessica made a sour face and wanted to put her head in her hands but instead had to settle for squirming around in her seat. She was getting a bit uncomfortable and was going to try to move some more when Cameron reached over and undid her seat belt let her stretch out on the back seat.

"Thanks. That really feels good. Ok, now I got another question. What do you and John have planned for me?"

"We want you to join us in our efforts. Your abilities are very useful and I would like to have another friend around most of the time. As ugly as things are going to get I would really enjoy your company."

"You and John both seem to act like some horrible event is coming. How do you know it is coming and what is it?"

"It is the end of the world and we will explain it in much further detail later."

Jessica rolled over and looked at Cameron's face closely and noticed that her eyes had welled up with tears. How could Cameron believe that the world was going to end? Nothing really bad was going on in the world and she never listened to the environmental nutcases so how could someone as rational and sensible as Cameron think such a thing. She found herself trying to wrap her head around it but decided to leave it for later; however, it really bugged her and made her a bit nervous. Not enough to doubt her choice to stay with them but just an uneasy feeling in the back of her head.

"Now you are starting to scare me again. So lets..."

Cameron had placed her hand on Jessica's mouth and looked down directly in her eyes. Her gaze was very intense and Jessica knew she was about to tell her something from the depths of her heart.

"Don't be scared. You don't have to be because John will take care of us. He is the only one who will be able to fight what is to come and he will win. As sure as the earth orbits the sun am I about John. So, please don't be scared of us and believe that what ever happens John will be the light to lead us from the darkness."

Cameron removed her hand reached over to the door and rolled down the window a bit. Jessica found herself unable to entirely understand what Cameron was saying but whatever it was she believed in John with every fiber in her being. She knew then that Cameron was totally devoted to John and would never leave him no matter what happened. She wished that she could find a guy that she could feel that way about.

She was about to ask another question when someone came over and knocked on the glass. It made her jump a little bit and then she pushed ankles under the blanket that was at the end of the seat. She stayed still hoping that who ever this person was they hadn't seem her ankle jewelry.

"Hi there. I noticed you have been parked here for a while and it is rather odd to see people in a car waiting for so long. Could you tell me what going on?"

Cameron looked at the man and was very annoyed. Why did this guy have to come bother her? Usually all the security guards at these places didn't bother anyone but they had to find the only Wal-Mart in the state that would have a nosy security guard.

"We are waiting on my husband and my friend here is keeping me company. As you can see I'm a bit disabled and didn't want to go inside so she was nice enough to hang around with me."

The guard looked at her a bit more carefully and then seemed to get a bit embarrassed over having bothered them.

"Sorry. We have recently had a large number of shoplifting cases so they want us to keep a look out for strange things. I will be going now and have a good day."

"We will."

Once he was far enough away Cameron looked down at Jessica and gave her a big smile.

"Thanks. I was wondering what you would do."

"Actually I was more embarrassed than anything else. I just kept thinking that I hope he doesn't look at me too closely because I would have to think of some really stupid excuse."

Cameron's gave her a sly smile no doubt wanting to know more about what she was thinking.

"Oh and what excuse did you come up with?"

"Once you indicated your disability I thought I would tell him that you had challenged me to try being helpless for a day to see what it was like."

Cameron reached down and rubbed her head and told Jessica.

"Good idea. Perhaps John and I should give you a treat later."

"Hey. I'm not your pet."

Cameron just laughed at the whole thing and marveled at how much she had changed. Everything felt so much clearer and people's actions and feeling were no longer a very difficult puzzle that were impossible to solve. Now she could understand them and even feel with them. It was an astounding revelation and again she felt her emotions surge with the thanks she had for the amazing gift John had given her.

"Cameron are you ok? You're crying."

She began to wipe her eyes and knew it was strange that she would suddenly have her emotions take over like this at odd times and wondering what other people thought of these odd spells she would get now and then.

"I'm fine. I just really happy about something."

"What is it?"

"It is the greatest gift I was ever given. I will tell you about it later."

As John opened the tailgate Jessica sat up and Cameron turned to look at him.

"Cam, did something happen while I was gone?"

"No. I'm just remembering things and it got to me a little bit."

"Alright. So, Jessica did you get your answers?"

"Not really. She doesn't want to tell me much until later."

"Well that will be soon. Once we get back to the campsite we can start to go over it all then. Anyways, I'm going to start loading everything and we can take off soon."

Jessica looked past John and noticed the two shopping carts full of stuff and wondered if everything would fit.

"You can put some stuff up here by me if you want as well."

"I think I can put it all in here and the front seat but thanks for the offer."

"Were you able to get everything?" asked Cameron.

"Yea. I'm not too sure about some of the clothes and shoes I picked up for you and Jessica but they mostly matched the measurements you gave me. Well we can bring them back and exchange them another time if they don't fit."

The ride back didn't take very long and John was very pleased that they hadn't wasted the entire day in town but it was close. They didn't get back until 4:23pm and it would start to get dark soon. Well tomorrow would be the first big day but now they needed to explain to Jessica just what the heck is going on.

John got out of the car and was very pleased to see that no one had been around and he had Cameron double check for him and she agreed with him as well. He quickly setup two chairs over by their work area and placed Cameron in one and carried Jessica over and sat her in the other.

"Um, you could just take the handcuffs off now."

"Not yet. Once we are done explaining everything we will."

"Cameron, don't you think John's being a little too cautious here?"

"No. His decision is correct. Just be patient."

Jessica sighed and wondered just how long she had been tied up for over the last two days. It had to have been longer than all the time she had spent with her last boyfriend doing something like this and she decided that such thinking was a really depressing and instead watched John unload everything.

Soon there was a small mountain of stuff spread about the campsite and she was still amazed that he had been able to fit it all in the Jeep without disturbing her or Cameron. John was one heck of a packer for sure.

"Cam, I think we have just enough time to do the servos. What do you think?"

"I agree. Get the other limb and you can start getting the other parts off while I examine the new replacements and I will begin explaining everything to Jessica."

"Alright."

Finally she was going to get some answers. She watched as John grabbed what looked to be a rather odd looking robotic arm that had been badly bent and damaged and then Cameron engaged her in a story she was never expecting.

Once Cameron was finished Jessica had but two words for them.

"You're nuts."

"Well Cam, that's better than I had expected to hear from her."

"I can't believe that you two would expect that I could believe such a loony story. Honestly, how can you or anyone for that matter believe in robots from the future and then tell me that Cameron here is one herself but a good one. It is just crazy. Now I want one thing. Let me go so that I can leave you two in peace. I won't tell anyone about any of this and will stay away from the reporters and I won't even talk to the FBI but I don't want to stay here."

"Sorry Jessica we can't let you go because you need to see this."

Jessica watched in horror as John removed Cameron's shirt and used a scalpel to slowly slice open her arm from the top of her shoulder all the way down to the elbow bisecting the bicep muscle.

"John, what the hell are you doing?"

He didn't respond to her and she yanked at her handcuffs even though she knew it to be futile but she couldn't just let her friend be mutilated by someone who was nuts. She gave up on freeing her hands and instead tried to get to her feet intending to hop over and try knocking him down somehow.

"Jessica stay put."

She stopped as Cameron spoke to her without a single worry or crease in her face. She knew that there wasn't an anesthetic that existed to allow you to be alert and thinking correctly but still block the pain that must have been caused by John's cut so she paused.

John spent a little more time pinning the tissues away and then came over to Jessica and helped her look into the cut he had made and what she saw surprised her. Cameron's arm wasn't anything like a human arm and bright metal gleamed inside the wound. The lack of flowing blood and the minimal bleeding also confused her. Any normal person would be loosing blood like a fountain if they had their arm opened up to the bone. Alright, something more was going on here.

"Okay you have got my attention now."

John sat her back down in the chair and moved it so that she was closer to Cameron and could see better as John worked.

"Good. What John is going to do is replace my damaged servos in my left arm with the new ones that were made with the material we developed in the lab. Once I have these we are going to rebuild the rest of my limbs and then remove my left arm and use the new material in it as well to finish the repairs. Still with me?"

Jessica had to take her eyes away from the structure inside Cameron's arm. It was amazing but she had one other question she still had to know.

"How do I know these aren't just some super advanced artificial limbs and that at your core you are still human and not a Terminator as you called it?"

"Two main things will disprove that I am human. First these wounds will heal in days and second we are going to replace some key armor plates on my torso and back with the new material. Once you see those I'm sure you will be able to believe us."

"Alright but what about this Judgment Day where 3 billion people die. I just can't even imagine that and why would this computer suddenly decide to kill everyone?"

"Skynet's motives are not known. All we seem to know for sure is that it is an unavoidable event."

Jessica frowned but as far as she could tell Cameron was telling her the truth. In fact, from what she could tell every word Cameron had spoken was the absolute truth and she knew that Cameron believed every word of it. It was giving her a headache thinking about all of it but Cameron was right she wished she had never heard it because if it was true then it was the most horrible thing she had ever known.

"Cam, I'm all ready."

"Go ahead and start."

John inserted the new servo and aligned the bottom connecting joint. Once he was happy with it he used the fastener from the broken servo to anchor it in place and then moved to the top. This spot was a lot harder to get right because it went up and inside part of the shoulder joint and it took him a little while before he felt it slide into the right location.

"I got it all setup in the top can you try attaching it?"

Cameron's face became blank for a second and then she looked back at John with a smile.

"I got it. Patch up the top and then lets get the tricep one installed."

John worked quickly and soon had the entire incision all stitched closed and then he made another incision on the back of her arm of just about the same length. It took him a little longer as he pulled the tissue out of the way and pinned the wound open.

"Jessica do you want to see the other side as well?"

Jessica considered it for a few seconds while John had started pulling something off the busted arm.

"Sure why not. Cameron can you raise your arm a little bit and then I will be able to see it just fine."

Cameron raised her arm and Jessica leaned forward and examined the wound. The same gleaming metal stared back at her and when she looked up in the shoulder she was amazed by the connection she saw there. Instead of a bone and metal joint she saw a round ball joint and more metal. She swallowed hard and realized that she was starting to believe their story.

"Thanks Cameron. You can lower your arm now as I have seen enough."

"Oh. Are you starting to believe me?"

"A little I guess. It is still going to take more for me to really believe all of it."

"You will believe I'm sure of it but remember you need to trust us. We are still the same people you knew before but now you know everything."

"I know but then again I don't."

"You will see all of the extraordinary evidence soon and then you can believe our extraordinary claims."

"I hope so and yet I don't want them to be true."

"Yea, I know what you mean," spoke John as he came back over with a few parts and a lantern.

"This one took a bit longer as the lower connector really didn't want to come out but I finally got it. You ready Cam?"

"Yes. Please proceed."

John put in the servo and aligned the bottom joint and then tried to insert the lower fastener. It refused to go in and he pulled the servo back out and tried to fit the fastener through the lower hole bit it was just a tiny bit to small. He walked back over to the toolbox and got some calipers and Emory cloth.

"John what's wrong?"

"The fastener won't fit through the lower hole. I'm going to double check it with the calipers."

John measure the items carefully and quickly found the problem. While most of the fastener was the correct size the very end had been mushroomed slightly which resulted in it being 8 thousands of an inch too big. He used the Emory cloth on it for a while and then remeasured and once he was happy with the result he tried again.

It went in perfectly this time and then he worked on the top part. He had to move Cameron's arm back and forth a bit to get the upper joint to line up correctly.

"Cam it is all set. Try to attached to it."

Cameron's face again became blank and then Jessica jumped in her seat as she heard some loud clicks and clatters. Soon a small hum could be heard as Cameron's systems began to apply power to her new servos and then Cameron turned back to John with a very happy expression.

"They are working perfectly. In fact, they are even better than the old ones I had. I'm so happy John because it won't be much longer until I am once again able to walk by your side."

"Me too."

John quickly stitched up the wound on the underside of her arm and was happy with the results.

"How long do you think it will take to heal those wounds?"

"I'm going to accelerate it so they will be all healed by tomorrow and you can take the stitches out in about an hour."

"No way. John, is she really serious?"

"Yep. Just you wait as there won't even be a scar left to see."

"Wow. Hey I'm really hungry do you think we could eat something?"

"Yea, I think that would be a good idea especially since it is getting really dark now."

John grabbed the lantern and went over to their supplies and came back with some more lights and then began to pack up all the tools and parts that were left from their recent repair work.

"John I could cook for all of us tonight if you want."

"I will take care of it because you are a bit tied up right now."

"Ha Ha. Thanks I am so glad to be the butt of your jokes right now. Seriously, I would like to be let out now."

"I'm going with a no on that for right now. Once you really believe us then we won't have to worry over you anymore and then you can say goodbye to your handcuffs."

Jessica frowned but she expected his answer. Both of them liked to be very cautious and she knew by Cameron's answers earlier that if they had to keep her locked up for several months they would do it without a second thought if they believed it would save her life. Not a wonderful prospect but if it prevented her from a horrible death at the hands of merciless killer trying to extract information from her she would take John and Cameron's treatment any day.

"John I need to calibrate these servos. So while you are cooking don't be alarmed by the loud noises."

"Sure thing Cam."

John was working on making some hamburgers when a loud explosion erupted and then the sound of a tree falling could be heard. It caused him to dive to cover pulling out his Glock. He tried to look in every direction at once but didn't see the threat. He was about ready to grab Cameron and Jessica and run for the Jeep when he noticed Jessica was staring at Cameron with eyes as wide as saucers and then he noticed that Cameron had a really surprised expression as well.

"Cam, what happened?"

No response. She was either really scared at what was coming or somehow that was her 'loud' noise. John started to smell the burning of the burgers and slowly climbed out still not sure what was going on. He let his 'gift' begin to fill in what details it could and he quickly concluded that if it was a threat it had to have been caused by something with freewill. He carefully crawled over to Cameron and tapped her back while still scanning the area for threats while keeping his gun ever ready.

"JOHN!"

He jumped as she jumped from his touch.

"What happened?"

"Sorry. I'm sorry but that was my fault. Apparently these servos are far more powerful than my original ones. This is going to take some work."

"No kidding. I was expecting loud noises not explosions. What happened?"

"I grabbed a rock weighting about ten pounds and tossed it as hard as I could at a nearby tree. I wanted to start to understand the upper limit on these new servos and had planned to use the depth of impact in the tree as a quick gauge. However, they responded with over eight times the force I expected and two times faster than expected. I almost lost control of the rock but was able to release it in time but it had so much force behind it that the impact broke through the trunk of the small tree it impacted."

"I'm going to finish the cooking before we have charcoal to eat. Just don't scare me like again alright."

"You and me both."

As John walked back to the stove he stopped and tapped Jessica on the forehead causing her to focus on him finally. Only two words escaped her mouth.

"Holy shit!"

He just shook his head and quickly flipped the burning burgers. Wonderful, just like mom would make. One thing he really tried to do was not cook food like his mother. She liked to cook but really shouldn't as it was only marginally edible.

After about ten minutes he had everything finished up and Cameron only made him jump two more times. Every time she did she would say she was sorry and then would mumble the word 'amazing'. Apparently her invention was surprising her and he found that ironic in a strange fashion.

"Well I think it is time to eat."

"Um, John are you planning on feeding me?"

"Oh, I'll be right back."

Jessica watched Cameron pick up her burger and began to eat it when a question suddenly came to mind.

"If you are one of these Terminators then why do you eat?"

"I need the nutrients it provides to keep my organic components alive. Other unit's organic components will began to decay and rot over time since they do not eat anything. I'm a bit different."

John had come back and reached behind Jessica and undid her handcuffs. She rubbed her wrists a bit and then attacked her burger. It was a bit burned on one side but she didn't care because she was starving. As she ate her food she realized that she was starting to believe the story that Cameron had told her and knew that the accident with the rock was partly to blame. In her entire life she wouldn't have ever imagined seeing a petite little girl throw a rock hard enough to fell a tree.

She watched as John and Cameron talked about little things and found the interplay between the two of them very fascinating. She was no longer looking at a normal loving couple. If Cameron was really what she claimed to be then John for what ever reason truly loved and cared for one of the very machines he was going to be fighting against. Cameron had explained the program that the John from the future had put inside of her and the consequences of what it all meant were just crazy. Could humans and machines really learn to love each other in a meaningful way? As she watched John and Cameron she had to conclude that they could but it still felt strange and foreign. Time would have to help her with the issues surrounding it.

"You all done Jessica?"

"Yea, but I want to change clothes and get cleaned up a bit. I'm don't want to be stuck wearing this top and skirt for another night or day."

"Sure. Cameron even put some night clothes on the list and I will grab them fore you. I also picked up this small hot water shower systems that had a little pump and uses a propane bottle to heat the water. There is a stream just a little ways away and we go head down there to clean up."

"That would be just wonderful. Could I also get some shoes finally?"

"Yea, sorry about that I completely forgot that you weren't wearing any. I will grab them as well."

They all returned to the camp site after each taking a turn getting to shower and clean up. Jessica found the experience to be a wonderful treat after how yucky she had started to feel and she had helped John clean up Cameron and remove her stitches and just like Cameron had told them they were ready to be removed. Well what ever happens she knew it wouldn't be boring.

"Am I sleeping in the Jeep again?"

"Do you want to sleep in the Jeep again?", John replied.

"Is there enough room in the tent?"

"Yea. It is a big tent and if we move what is in there out to the Jeep there would be room for you. At least you could stretch out all the way."

"I would like that. John why don't we go ahead and put the handcuffs back on me and then Cameron can quite watching me like a hawk. I don't think she has taken her eyes off of me the whole time I haven't been wearing them."

"That is correct. I wanted to make certain that you didn't make an escape attempt and before you say you wouldn't I know that you had considered it a few times especially since you believe us both to still be crazy. Your slowly changing your mind but haven't yet so I refuse to take any chances with you."

Jessica sighed. Just what had she gotten herself sucked into still bothered her. Oh well, perhaps she shouldn't have wished for an 'interesting' life so hard when she was younger.

"Jessica lets grab the blankets for you and then get you comfortable first."

She got everything organized just the way she wanted and then locked one pair about her ankles and then locked one about her left wrist and then motioned for John to finish up with the other one. She was getting way too accustomed to this.

"I'm going to give you another shot tonight as well. I don't want you to get really stiff or sore on us."

"Thanks."

Cameron watched as Jessica drifted off to sleep and once she was sure she was asleep she turned to John.

"I'm surprised with these parts."

"Me too. I had no idea they would function like this."

"I agree but we have a new problem. We need to make sure that Skynet never gets a hold of any of the material or the design information about it. It could create a huge strategic problem if it does."

John had also considered this issue. He knew that everything in the lab had been blown to pieces and all the design material that had been located there as well because they hadn't yet been able to afford off-site backups. He was glad about that but was very worried about Cameron's copy to her gmail account.

"We need to get ride of the copy in your gmail account."

"Yes. However, I had encrypted it using triple AES so it should be hard to break into and I used a 128 letter password, the maximum the program allowed to protect it. I figured it would be a good precaution to keep and an encrypted backup of the files in case of emergency."

"Good thinking. It also means that you will have to do one other really important thing once everything is fixed."

"What's that."

"You can never leave my side. You would be too dangerous to allow to fall into enemy hands."

Cameron picked up on the sly smile he was giving her and reached over and grabbed him.

"Don't worry I won't. Now I believe I should give you a small reward for the work you did today?"

Cameron kissed John and enjoyed every moment of the sensation and couldn't wait until everything was finished with her repairs as she had a list of things she wanted to explore with John as a married couple.

**

* * *

Notes:** This took way to darn long. Adding Jessica increased the detail level by a large factor and I am somewhat regretting the decision but she will be very helpful to John and Cameron in providing Tech-Com with technology and weapons. I know it seems like she has really gotten one heck of a raw deal for a little while but it is very hard to rescue someone when they don't even believe they are really in danger. Plus I like to add a little twisted humor in places. Next chapter deals with a lot of repair work and we see Jessica come to terms with their story. Also, someone asked what I see Jessica's future role in the story being. Basically, I want her to be a friend for Cameron so she has at least one other person who can see her as something far more than a machine but also as one of the first members of Tech-Com heading up their technology division with Cameron. She will move to a more secondary character status later because chapters of this length are hard to write without going the Robert Jordan route with too much useless detail. If I ever start to get close to that you guys have my permission to whack me upside the head.

Other useless detail. The correct term for those parts would be actuators not servos but I didn't feel like typing that over and over again so you guys are just going to have to live with that little inaccuracy.


	11. A New Arm

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Jerh:** That would be one heck of a long series of stories. I'm not saying it is out of the question and I like the idea but I would be witting on this for the next year almost. We will see as time goes on.

**Dirt Rider 712:** I don't think a Sarah and Derek pairing would be a good idea because I think they would feed off each others hate far too much. I think they each need someone who would anchor them down to life and help them get past their hatred. Well, that is my take on the subject.

**Notes: **A small note on original characters to the people who complain about them. In my opinion it is just impossible to get something like this done without dragging other people into the story so you have to put in some OCs. Now I don't like making them the focus or having them take away part of focus from the main characters for a little while but you have to do it a bit otherwise they are just too damn flat and the story feels off. So, if you don't like them I'm sorry you are going to have to suffer through some appearing, dieing and everything else. The scope of this story is just going to get too big once Judgment Day has passed to not bring in many different OCs.

**Warning:** There might be a large number of mistakes ahead because this is only a v2 version. I wanted to get it out there because I might have to travel this week on a field assignment and figured you guys would rather have something instead of waiting about 3 days or more.

**Update:** Should be all fixed up now. Might be a few left but I think I got all of them.

* * *

John opened up the tent and breathed in the fresh mountain air. It felt good, really good, and he found himself really excited. He knew it was going to be a ton of work and really messy but still he was finally going to get Cameron back in one piece. He could barely contain himself and that was why he woke up just as daylight began to peak over the mountains. He stepped out of the tent and figured he would start to get stuff ready for the day.

"Hey Jessica do you want to get up now?"

She rolled over and looked at him with barely opened eyes and then rolled back over giving him just a grunt of an answer. He decided to take that as a no and would let her sleep while Cam and him got the day started.

"Cam I'm going to get a small fire started and then I will come grab you and we can outline what to do first."

"Alright."

He collected himself a nice pile of firewood and soon had a small fire going. The nights were getting rather cold and the fire felt really good. He setup Cameron's chair and arranged all the parts, tools and medical supplies. Once he had everything just the way he wanted it he went back into the tent and noticed that Jessica was now sitting up blinking away the sleep.

"Do you want to get up now?"

"Would you two care if sleep a little longer?"

"Doesn't bug me. Sleep as long as you want."

"Great, but I need to use the bathroom so if you wouldn't mind could you remove my extra jewelry for a little bit."

"Sure."

He carried Cam out to her chair while Jessica took care of her morning business.

"Cam what would you like for breakfast?"

She looked at him and could tell he was really excited that they were going to get started on the heart of her problems. He was almost bouncing around like a little kid and it made her want to giggle it was so infectious.

"How about we eat a quick set of MRE pouches? It will get us back to our main task faster."

"Prefect I was thinking the same think."

John was reaching into the bag selecting two MRE pouches when Jessica tapped him on her shoulder.

"John I want to go to sleep for a little while and will eat later alright?"

"Sure."

"What are you two going to do first?"

"Start prepping the replacement parts. I will get you up for the main show."

She frowned and he knew that it kind of grossed her out but she was a tough one and could handle it.

"Alright, so can you get me all tied back up so that I can sleep?"

Once she got everything the way she wanted she took care of doing most of the work and all John had to do was lock her remaining wrist in the handcuffs and then double lock all of them.

"Comfortable?," he said it as an off handed joke but wasn't expecting her response.

"As surprising as it may seem I really am and I'm sort of find this arrangement comforting in a twisted sense of the word. How messed up is that? Anyways, I would really appreciate it if you could let me sleep as long as possible. I had horrible dreams of everything going to hell and would really like to sleep in as much as possible today."

He felt sad that she had started to get the nightmares but it was something that happened to everyone once they knew what was coming. He had only one real response that fit the situation though.

"Welcome to the family. We all get those kind of dreams and even Cameron has bad dreams related to all of this. I think we will be doing prep work for a few hours so that should help you."

"Wonderful. Just leave the tent flap down as it will get pretty hot in here once the sun gets over the mountain."

"Alright."

John left Jessica alone and came back over to Cameron and saw that she had started both of the MRE pouches heating process for them.

"Thanks Cam."

"No problem."

John ate with as much speed as possible and even burned his mouth a few times and noticed that Cameron shook her head several times at his silliness but all the waiting had been driving him nuts. Today was the first day of the end of the nightmare he had entered when coming out the front door and seeing Cameron caught in the car bomb. He just wanted her whole again and wasn't going to let something like breakfast keep him from getting started as soon as possible even if he almost choked on it twice.

"John please be careful. It would be silly to accomplish Skynet's goal and self terminate yourself just because you want to hurry."

As always Cameron was the voice of reason to his silliness and he slowed down a bit but still ate faster than normal.

Once they were both done John moved Cameron over to the portable table he had setup and then sat down next to her.

"Alright, what's first."

"Lets get my right arm rebuilt. We need to remove the entire wrist joint and disassemble the fingers and servos. Once that is done we need to carefully remove the inner netting that runs along the center channel of the arm."

"Alright. What does the netting do?"

"It is used to interface with the nerves in my biological tissues and is also responsible for allowing me to control regeneration. It is a vital piece of material to my systems."

"Got it. How should get I get the locks to release on the wrist joint?"

"We can't. However if you can assist me I should be able to use my strength to manually disengage most of them. Any that aren't usable we will have to replace with some of the parts we had made."

John carefully held the arm for Cameron as she used the various tools, sometimes requiring him to hold her as well so that she didn't slide off her chair, to disassemble the joint. The damage the arm had received made it a really difficult task and Cameron had to finally give up on one piece.

"John I can't finish this part. We are going to have to cut out the linkage on the lower side because it is damaged to far to be released and until we do that the joint can't be separated."

"Got it. Suggestions for cutting equipment?"

"The hack saw with the diamond blades. It will do the best job."

John worked for almost and hour before it finally gave out and the wrist joint was able to be freed from the ruined frame of the arm.

"Man that was hard. Now what?"

"We need to get the all the small parts, communication cables, biological support lines, and the netting removed. Once that is done we can get to work on the elbow joint."

This part went a lot faster. With the wrist joint out of the way Cameron was able to quickly and efficiently take all the parts off the old arm. She frowned a few times as she noticed damage that had penetrated the protective raceway ruining some of the biological support system lines. She looked over to John once she was done.

"Do we still have that selection of surgical supply lines in the medical kit?"

"Yea. I will go get it."

Cameron carefully looked at what the kit had and found a perfect substitute for the damaged line. It would work just as well and the raceway would protect it, plus the new material was so much stronger that she doubted this would ever happen again.

"I'm going to need you cut this line to match exactly up with this one. The old one is damaged and I didn't notice it before and we can't use it."

"Got it. Here are the replacement parts made with the new material. Can you double check that everything is correct?"

John carefully cut the lines to match exactly while Cameron went over every nook and cranny of the replacement parts to make sure there weren't any surprises.

"John these were hand made?"

"Huh. What do you mean?"

"They are done perfectly to my drawings but there weren't finished by a machine because there are small deviations a machine wouldn't have left behind. We really owe that president our thanks because these small changes have increased the durability of the parts."

"Wow. Everything is fine though, right?"

"Yes. We won't have any trouble and it will be very interesting to see how the material performs in actual combat."

"I don't think it would be interesting because if you are fighting something directly I've screwed up somewhere."

Cameron turned to look him directly in his eyes and she gave him a very grateful smile. She knew that she was very precious to him and it always filled her heart with joy but she knew that there would be times when she would have to engage the enemy directly but she was certain that John would always be by her side when it came down to that.

"Lets get back to work John. You try to get all the locks released from the elbow joint and I will start to reassemble the arm with the new parts."

John wiped the sweat from his brow again because this joint was really giving him a hard time. He had to use the diamond bladed hacksaw to get through some of the retaining mechanisms because when the metal shrapnel cut through her right arm it appeared to have fused a few things together. Once he completed a few more slices with the hacksaw the mechanism released and they finally had an elbow joint. Now he just had to start removing the servo connectors and then get the shoulder joint from the top half.

"Cam, here is the elbow joint and the lower half of the upper arm so you can get the the other parts stripped. Do you want me to start on the shoulder joint or start repairing the wiring?"

"Do the wiring first. I think you could use a break from the manual labor for a bit. I will continue working on assembling the new arm. Also, you will need to cut me another biological support line because the feeder line is ruined."

"Got it."

The wiring went along fairly well but it was hard to work with very small 40 and 42 gauge wires. The nice part was that just a tiny bit of solder did the job. He had gone over each one very carefully with the Fluke scope he had purchased for testing the repairs he knew he were going to be required to be made to the wiring harness.

"How does it look John?"

He watched as the last wire lead tested clean and then looked up at her and smiled.

"Great. This is all set so you can take it and the tube is over there. Now I just need to get the shoulder joint cut out right?"

"Yes. Once you have that done then I will finish the last bits of assembly and we can get the servos mounted and then it will be time to prep for reattachment."

"Wonderful. How long have we been at this?"

"3 hours 14 minutes and 59 seconds."

"Should I get Jessica up?"

"Let her sleep until we are ready to attach my new arm because we can also take care of the rear armor plates and that is what I really want her to see. I also want her to see the front armor plate replacement if this doesn't convince her but I will need to preform a regeneration cycle before we do those."

"Sounds good. Hey, something else I was wondering about is that these new parts are far stronger than your other parts and I'm worried that the old stuff will not be able to handle the new stress levels. What do you think?"

"It will be fine. My hyperalloy chassis is built very far in excess of what is required for normal service levels. I have checked for that possibility and even with the added strength of the new servos the hyperalloy chassis will be able to handle the load but there isn't as much a margin of overload as before. In fact, there is only a 5.1 percent overload left with these new parts when before we could go in excess of 205.1 percent over recommendations before causing damage."

"Cam are these new parts really that advanced?"

"Yes. The servos are especially far more advanced because they now operate much more efficiently with the applied electromagnetic fields and the material is much lighter which further increases their power to weight ratio. All in all I am very pleased with what Jessica and I where able to create."

"I should say. Well, I'm going to get back to cutting out the shoulder joint and then remove all the servo connectors."

This last interlock was really pissing John off. He couldn't get at it directly with the hacksaw and it was preventing him from being able to free the joint. Why did these things always happen? You get down to the last piece and one stupid thing prevents you from finishing your job.

"John are you alright? You stress levels are really high."

"Not really. I can't get this one last interlock cut apart or removed. Do you want to look at it?"

Cameron leaned over and saw what John was doing and quickly figured out a solution to his problem.

"John use the drill and cut it out from the back side. You have a straight line of access to it that way."

He turned to look at her with a look of pure joy and befuddlement plastered on his face.

"Thanks. I guess I got so focused I didn't even think about the other options. I will have to be careful of that when we are planning things for the resistance."

"Don't worry I will help you as much as you need."

"Thanks."

John got the drill and about eight cobalt drill bits and began to work. After he ruined the third one he really wished that they would have thought of it before hand and purchased a set of diamond coated drill bits. Sure they would be really expensive but this was just hell working on these parts otherwise.

"Cam, can you make a note for us to purchase a large supply of diamond tools before Judgment Day?"

"Yes John."

"Thanks. Okay I'm done here so that's it right?"

"Yes it will take about nine minutes for me to complete assembly so now would be a good time to get Jessica up and we can all eat lunch together."

"Sounds good because I could use a break now."

* * *

Jessica was really enjoying her extra sleep but someone kept calling her name. She tried to ignore them but soon they started to tap her on the head and she had no choice but drag her mind from the depths of sleep. She slowly opened her eyes to see who was talking to her.

"John?"

"Yea. How are you feeling?"

"I'm tried still. What time is it?"

"I believe it is about 12:30pm."

"Wow. I can usually never fall asleep when it is this bright outside. I guess I was really tired. How are things going with Cameron?"

"We decided to break for lunch and get you up so that you could see the next phase."

"Sure. How is her arm from yesterday?"

"It's fine. There isn't even a scar. Anyways, how about you get dressed and we can see about getting you a late breakfast."

"Sounds good."

John turned and was about ready to walk away when Jessica got his attention.

"John you still need to take these handcuffs off of me otherwise I'm not going to doing much."

"Sorry. I sort of forgot."

"Yea, well they are becoming my latest fashion accessory. Anyways, can you just grab me some of the clothes you got me yesterday and I will get changed?"

"Sure I will be right back with the bags and will grab the keys to the handcuffs as well."

Jessica looked through several of the bags surprised at the selection John had gotten for her and also surprised that it all appeared to be her correct size, even the pants. Usually pants were really hard to fit her and she made a mental note to ask Cameron what she had written down for John to be able to get the right stuff for her. Well, that was a problem for later so she picked a pair of regular blue jeans and a cream t-shirt.

Once she was fully dressed she put on a pair of blue canvas shoes not bothering with the socks. She then reached over and locked the chain with the handcuffs attached to it about her waist not at all disliking having them back on her. If last night was any indicator being chained up would be really comforting and prevent her from trying to run away or attack John with what ever she was to soon witness. Now that she considered herself ready she grabbed the other pair of handcuffs and went out to see what John was cooking.

She looked at him and the huge cloud of smoke coming from the pan and wondered if something had gone wrong with the meal.

"John is everything ok?"

"Yea. Just close up the tent up as this smoke can really leave a smell."

She did what he asked and then smelled what he was cooking. It was really spicy but she couldn't place where she might have smelled it before.

"John what are you cooking?"

"John called it blackened catfish. He claims that is very tasty but I'm having trouble believing him with the large amount of smoke and heat he is using to cook the dish."

"I have heard of it, but never eaten it," replied Jessica as she came over to Cameron and sat down at the table.

She reached down and put the handcuffs on her ankles and then looked at Cameron.

"Don't worry I can't run off now, so you don't have to worry. Ok?"

"Thank you. I'm just being very careful."

"I know and don't worry I have forgiven you two and it isn't bugging me as much as I had thought it was going to. Anyways, is that your new arm?"

Cameron looked at what she was pointing at and gave her a small nod as John finished putting three fillets of fish that contained a large amount of char on both sides onto three plates. Cameron was really beginning to wonder if John had begun to take after his mom's taste in cooking.

"Perfect. I'm sure you two will like these. I'm going to get the lemon juice and some water so it will be just a few more seconds."

Cameron gave John a smile and figured she would give him the benefit of the doubt about the food and then turned to see Jessica moving the arm back and forth carefully looking at all its features. She was having fun watching all the expressions Jessica's face displayed as she looked at all the various parts in her right arm. It was now a mix of the bright chrome colored hyperalloy and the dull gray colored superalloy that they had invented.

"Impressive isn't it," spoke John as he returned with the drinks. He quickly put a plate down for each of them and dispensed the silverware.

"Yes it is. I've never seen anything like this before plus these tubes appear to be used for carrying life support systems so does that mean it can support living tissue?"

"Yep. It will look just like Cameron's other arm."

Cameron tried a piece of the burnt fish and then quickly changed her opinion of John's latest cooking attempt. It had a very pleasurable quality to it and she found the crunchy texture to be a nice surprise.

"John this is really good."

"Thanks Cam."

"Hey Jessica you should eat now and then we can explain everything about the arm. Alright?"

"Uh, sure."

Jessica looked at the fish and while she liked fish wasn't sure about whatever it was that John had done to it. However, Cameron had said it was good so she gave it a try. The first piece was a real surprise and she had to grab the water bottle and take a quick drink to stop the coughing. It was much more spicy than she expected but it had a good flavor.

"Are you alright?" ask John.

"Yes. I just wasn't expecting the spices. I will be fine now but Cameron is right, this is rather good."

"Thanks. So not only am I the commander of the resistance forces but I am also the head chef."

"Such a thing isn't true in the future and I would advise against making such a change to the command structure."

"I was just kidding Cam."

"I know and I was teasing you back."

"Oh. Your sense of humor is still hard to understand sometimes."

"I know but you are also hard to understand at times as well."

Jessica had to giggle at the both of them. The interplay between them was always just so fascinating and often funny.

Once they had all finished with the meal and everything was cleaned up and Jessica was in her comfortable usual position with her handcuffs all in place it was time to get down to the matter at hand.

"Jessica what John and I are going to do now is replace two armor plates on each side of my back and attached the newly repaired right arm. I want you to pay very close attention to the work we are going to do on my back. Please don't be afraid and just look carefully. Can you do that?"

"I think so."

"Alright. John lets get going."

Cameron removed her shirt and John came over and helped her remove her bra. Once her back was bare John began by making two long incisions that started by her shoulder blades and ran parallel to her spine stopping just above her waist. John carefully used clamps and pins pull the tissue out of the way and carefully separated the muscle tissues. He was very calm and patience as he worked and soon a large part of Cameron's metal endoskeleton was exposed.

Jessica had a ton of trouble watching what John was doing and was now regretting eating anything. Perhaps they should have waited to do this she was what she was thinking to herself but once she saw the gleaming metal underneath Cameron's skin her thoughts changed to no longer worry but amazement.

"Cam I have it all open now. Can you try releasing the locks for the right side?"

"Yes."

Cameron's face became blank and soon Jessica heard small whining and whirling noises coming from Cameron. They didn't last long and then Cameron spoke.

"John everything released fine so just grab each plate and pull on them. You might have to give a sharp tug with each one and then they should detach without trouble."

"Got it."

John grabbed each one and gave them a sharp pull but also had to make sure he didn't pull Cameron out off her seat but each plate come off on the first try. He flipped them over and noticed all the little fasteners and then looked over at the new parts to make sure that everything was present. He was just about to ask Cameron to look at them when he heard a gasp escape Jessica.

He turned to look at her and saw the shock and amazement play across her face. He examined the back of Cameron and noticed you could now see all of the various pumps and wire assemblies running inside her chest cavity. However, it wasn't all just mechanical parts because there is also a lot of living tissue present in the form of her internal organs and you could see her lungs expand with each breath she took. It was an amazing site but it removed all doubt about her status as a machine.

"What do you think Jessica?"

"It's all true isn't it?"

"Yea it is."

"But it doesn't make any sense?"

"I know."

"I'm really scared you two."

Cameron turned her head to look at Jessica closely.

"Jessica do you remember what I told you in the car about John?"

Jessica's brow creased as she thought about it and then she nodded her head.

"Then don't be afraid. You will soon see how amazing John is and then you can be absolutely certain that what I told was the truth."

Jessica swallowed hard and then gave Cameron a quick smile.

"Well at least you now believe us", spoke John.

"It's a little hard to argue with when you can see inside her like this right now."

"Yea it is. Are you going to be alright?"

Jessica forced a small smile onto her face and then gave John an encouraging nod while the tears began to slide down her face. It took her a minute to get herself back under control and then she asked John a question.

"Can I go lay back down and think for a while?"

"Uh, sure. Let me get you out of those handcuffs since you now that we aren't crazy and there really isn't a need for them."

"Don't bother. I like wearing them right now and it will keep me from doing something really stupid if I think about all of this too hard. In fact, I might wear them a while because all of this is weighting down on my heart far more than I could have ever expected."

John could understand her and respected her decision to want to face the coming terror even if she had to give up some of her freedom to make it through the darkness as it approached.

"I understand."

"Good. Cameron can you please make sure I don't hurt myself and get me though this?"

"I will, I promise. It will get easier and you will soon see the light that John offers as well. Take comfort in that and use it to build your strength."

"Thank you both of you. John can you put me in the tent?"

John went over and picked her up and carried her over to the tent. He laid her down gently in the tent and then carefully removed her shoes. She was crying freely now and he could tell it would be best to leave her alone for a while. Once he was back over by Cameron he asked her a question in a lone tone to prevent Jessica from hearing.

"Do you think she might kill herself?"

"It is very common in the future just after Judgment Day for people to give up all hope and self terminate. However, as you saw she wants us to remove that choice from her so while she might want to she still wants to survive and live. We will have to keep a close eye on her but I believe everything will turn out alright."

John considered Cameron's words and wondered just how many lives would be lost to the fear and terror and not the the Terminators and nuclear bombs. He concluded it was a number far too high if even a single person gave up like that. He hardened his resolve and then returned back to the task at hand.

"Cam, is everything correct on the replacement plates?"

"Yes. I scanned them earlier. Just grab each one and line up the holes and then hit them rather hard and they should just snap into place."

John did what she told him and was pleasantly surprised that everything went in perfectly. He double checked everything just to be sure that he didn't miss anything but they were all lined up exactly like they should be.

"It is all in. Try engaging the locks."

Cameron's face became blank and soon John heard the familiar sounds as the panels were locked into place. She smiled and he knew there were no problems and then began to seal the incisions he had made after cleaning the new armor plates again. He worked methodically and carefully and it wasn't long before everything was closed up.

"All done."

"Thanks John. Now we have to work on the hard and messy part."

"Alright. Just tell me what we need to do."

"Remove the rest of my clothes."

He carefully helped Cameron out of the rest of her clothes and carefully looked over her body. Her perfection always surprised him and he felt tears well up in his eyes as he thought about how much they had been through together. It didn't matter what came at them now because they would always be able to get through it together.

"John are you ok? Do you need to take a break?"

"No. I was just thinking about those first few days while we put as much of you back together as we could and I was thinking that after we finish this it won't matter what Skynet tries to do to us because it will always fail since together we can accomplish anything."

Her smile was immediate and bright and it quickly infected him. He scooted close to her and leaned in giving her a kiss holding all the warmth of his feelings in it and he could feel her passion for him held in her response. It felt wonderful and he didn't want to put anymore marks on her perfect skin but knew that it had to be done and he would do it because he loved her more than anything else.

"Thank Cam, that really felt nice."

"It was very enjoyable for me too."

"I'm glad but we need to get back to fixing your arm. What do I do now?"

"This isn't going to be fun but I need you to make several incisions on my arm and lower right leg and get access to the muscle tissues. Then I want you cut several long strips of muscle tissue and attach it to the netting and the arm connections. They don't have to very big because I will be able to grow them but we need a lot of strips to get everything connected."

"Alright."

John began making the incisions and soon was removing several small narrow strips of muscle tissue. He was being very careful to not take too much of the tissues he was removing so that they could regrow as well. After about an hour and a half he had it done and Cameron liked his work. She had directed every attachment and location he placed the new strips of tissue on.

"Now we need to place skin grafts on the arm. Cut a one inch wide strip in a few stripes across my abdomen and then wrap that skin over the arm. You can leave gaps of about an inch in the winding process but anything over an inch will make the regeneration cycle take longer."

John began removing the strips of skin and hated doing it. Her skin was so perfect and it just seemed wrong to do this but he forged ahead knowing that she would heal without even a scar left behind. It took a while but he finally had her new arm mostly covered and the only thing left to cover were the fingers.

"What do we do about the fingers?"

"Cut some more strips of skin but make them long and narrow and you will just fold the skin over the finger and then stitch the sides. Once you do that stitch the skin of the fingers to the local muscle tissues and other skin."

He took the skin from her butt and carefully made small little sleeves of skin that would fit over all her fingers. Once he had them just the way he wanted he attached everything together.

"How does it look?"

"Good. Now cut open my shoulder and lets attached the shoulder joint."

He cut it open and had to remove a large amount of extra tissue that had grown inside the empty joint. Once he had everything cleaned out he grabbed the new arm and slid the shoulder joint into place. It went in without trouble and he gave Cameron a small nod.

She assumed her emotionless expression and he soon heard several clicks and then a small hum began to run down the length of the arm. A large number of clatters and grinding noises appeared but soon he saw her flex her hand just slightly and then saw that she had a big smile on her face.

"How is it?"

"Great. Wrap the arm tightly in bandages and then I will start the life support systems. Try to spot any leaks of blood and apply extra bandages in those locations and I will try to adjust the blood flow to those locations."

"Alright."

John carefully wrapped up everything and soon Cameron's arm was encased in about a half inch of gauge and bandages. Once he was done there he stitched the extra shoulder skin onto open areas of her arm and then wrapped that up as well.

"All done."

"I'm enabling minimal blood flow now."

John looked everywhere and after a few minutes figured that there weren't any bad leaks.

"Everything looks good. What do your systems show?"

"They report that minimal pressure is holding. This will work well for now and I will be able to increase the pressure as the tissue grows to cover everything. Now just bandage and stitch up all the other cuts we made."

It took about another hour before John had everything all bandaged up and in good shape. He looked at how much of Cameron they had cut open to just repair her arm and wondered how they were going to do her legs. They were a lot bigger than a single arm.

"Cam if we had to cut up this much of you to fix a single arm what are we going to do about your legs? They are a lot bigger."

"We will have to do it in sections. First we will rebuild and attach the lower section of my right leg and once it is healed we will rebuild the upper section of my left leg and get it attached. When the regeneration cycle for that completes we can rebuild and attach the lower left leg."

"What about the rebuild to the upper right leg parts?"

"We will do that when we do the rebuild on my left arm. We don't have to worry about loosing as much tissues because we just need to swap out parts."

"Makes sense. How long is the regeneration cycle going to take?"

"Current estimates shows that it will be done in 2 days 3 hours 15 minutes and 23 seconds."

"Ok. How about we go rest in the tent as I am just beat after all that work."

"I would like that as well."

John carefully picked her up and laid down with her, feeling happy and yet sad at what was required to rebuild her. He knew that it had to be done but it still bugged him that he had to tear up so much of her body to do it. Well, she was going to be perfect in the end and he relaxed knowing that their long journey was finally coming to a close. John closed his eyes and listened to Cameron's soft breathing and Jessica's slight snoring and slowly drifted off to sleep.

**

* * *

Notes**: Well Jessica finally believes them but is having trouble accepting the true. For those of you that have trouble understanding her think about how you feel if someone told you the world was going to end like in the Terminator world and then that one of your best friends was a machine as well. It would be impossible to believe and you have to actually see what she did with Cameron to truly get it. Once that happens the grief and pain of what was coming would be really hard to deal with.

Now we finally have Cameron's first rebuilt limb attached. Now John just has to do the legs, rebuild the other arm, and replace the front armor plates. Well he is a strong boy so he should be able to get that done by lunch tomarrow. Well maybe not.


	12. Beginning of the Last Battle

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**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** Alright here is another version of Chapter 12. The other kind of didn't fit so I decided to rework it. Let me know which version you guys like best I will keep that version.

**Update:** As per the readers vote this one stays the other goes. I guess it isn't good to write while riding on a train when trying to pass the time. Might make for problems for a little while.

For those of you who don't know I had originally posted another version of this chapter but others quickly let me know it wasn't really any good (Thanks early reviewers) and I reworked it. Not this one fits in much better.

**

* * *

**John felt a cool breeze and opened his eyes to see what was causing it and a bleak and dark sky looked down at him. Confused he got up and looked around instantly recognizing where he was. It was the same landscape and hill that he had been at when he had received his gift. He heard a noise behind him and he jumped turning around quickly to see Cameron laying on the ground with a very confused look on her face.

He bent down and helped her to her feet and then realized that she wasn't damaged in the slightest bit and instead whole. It was wonderful seeing her like this even if it was only a sort of dream.

"John what is going on?"

"It's a dream. Well sort of."

"Why are you in my dream?"

"I could ask you the same thing assuming that you are real."

A frown formed on her face and John reached out and held her hand. He could feel the slight singing at her touch and the sense he got from her assured him that she was really here with him this time.

"Can you feel my presence?"

"Yes. So, this is real?"

"In a strange sort of way, yes. This is where I got my gift last time but I don't why I am back here or why you are with me."

She started to walk off but John held her hand tightly, refusing to let go of it. She stopped and turned to look at him.

"Is there something more going on John?"

"I don't think we should let go of each other right now. Something is going to happen soon I can feel it, well sort of."

"What is going to happen?"

"I don't know."

"What do you suggest we do?"

"Lets just sit and wait. We can at least talk to each other for a while."

"Alright."

They sat down together and talked for a while about nothing of real importance. It was a nice break and it allowed John to get a few things off his chest. Mainly he complained to her how much he hated having all of this responsibility tossed on to him. She listened and gave him words of encouragement and tried to make one thing clear above all the others, that without her help he would never had even made it this far.

A loud boom sounded across the landscape and it caused Cameron to jump but he knew it was coming.

"John what's going on?"

"That was what we were waiting for."

"Yes it was John."

John knew that voice but didn't understand why he would hear from her again. The last time he had meet her she had told him that they would never meet again and he turned around to see Amy staring back at him.

"I thought we weren't going to meet again?"

"We were wrong. There are still a few other things you must know John and you as well Cameron."

"John, who is she?"

"I don't really know but she is the one I told you about who gave me my gift."

"Thank you for clarifying."

"Amy, what was that noise?"

"It signaled the awakening of Skynet. It has now become fully self-aware and is beginning its preparations to wipe out all of human existence."

"John, you told me we had till November 23. Were you wrong?"

"No, he is correct. Skynet doesn't let have enough control to begin the war so there is still some time left."

"Amy what else did you need to explain to us?"

"This is the endgame John. Skynet can't meddle with time anymore and neither can we. If you fail all of humanity dies with you. Remember that well. Cameron, John's blood runs inside of you and our gift to him is also making changes to you. I don't want to tell you what it is because it will be a very pleasant surprise for the both of you but you can relax knowing it won't impair your abilities."

"So this is really it, the last battle. I have just one more question?"

"Yes?"

"If we can't meddle in time anymore how can I send my protectors back in time?"

"You can't. We don't know why but you don't have to worry about Cameron, Derek, or any of the others suddenly disappearing due to a paradox developing. How time work is far beyond our understanding but rest assured that what we have told you is the truth."

"Thank you Amy. I won't let this gift go to waste."

"We know."

The landscape faded away as Amy slowly vanished. All that remained was him and Cameron holding onto each other and it wasn't until he heard Jessica's light snoring did he realize they were back in the tent together. It was going to be a real interesting next few weeks that was for sure.

* * *

**Notes: **After reading **ArrowMk84**'s review I realized that the last Chapter 12 was just very off. So I redid it.


	13. Initial Battle Plans

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**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** So after the reviews came in I decided to replace Chapter 12 with the v2 version and now this is Chapter 13. Hopefully, I haven't gotten everyone totally confused. Anyways, so I got a bit of a break and was able to get some writing done. Just let me know if I am out of my mind like the last chapter and I will go in and rework things. Travel can be such a pain sometimes and dealing with new clients doesn't help much.

* * *

It was now about 11:15am and Jessica was still sitting in the chair John had setup for her. She had been sitting there all morning after barely eating anything for breakfast and Cameron had to pester her several times to try and eat something. Once they had finished she changed into some of the nicer clothes that had been purchased for her because really wanted to feel pretty today.

She stretched out her legs looking at her feet and the white sandals that she was currently wearing. It was almost too cold to wear sandals and a skirt but she really liked how nice her legs looked. As her eyes moved up to her ankles she focused on the handcuffs that were locked around them. She had placed them on herself just after changing and made John lock her the rest of way up because she knew if she didn't have something to prevent her from acting she would have taken her own life when they weren't watching. Everything had changed too fast and too horribly for her to really handle right now.

The idea of a future that terrible and bleak was impossible for her to imagine. A race of machines created and built for a single purpose, the total annihilation of humanity, and all of them controlled and directed by a single master intelligence called Skynet which was created by humans. How could it have gone so horribly wrong? She had always been one of the people to want a robot friend like in the sci-fi movies but would have never believed they would turn out like John and Cameron's description. However, Cameron also represented hope for them because while she was built and designed for bringing death to all the people she met, instead she gave life. If Cameron hadn't had John kidnap her and drag her out here against her will she would have died at the hands of another one of those machines.

She moved her ankles a bit and watched the light play off the handcuffs. They had a very bright chrome finish and fit around her slim ankles with ease but were impossible for her to escape from. They held her firmly and would never release her no matter how much she begged or pleaded with them and for that she was grateful. For some strange reason the ability to let go of her freedom gave her comfort and peace. She knew with absolute certainty that Cameron and John would honor their promise to her and refuse to let her harm herself. There were moments that she hated herself for asking that of them and others were she was immensely glad she spoke it before thinking of doing something stupid.

She let out a sigh and pulled her legs back to herself and rolled her shoulders as best she could. While she had gotten very much adjusted to wearing the handcuffs, that only a few days ago she considered to be a horror trust upon her, she still had to move around a bit or the muscles would become stiff.

She reached up and probed the pair locked around her wrists and felt their solid construction and gave them a bit of a tug and felt some comfort in their simple purpose of keeping her safe. They forced her to look at her choices and as she considered all of them there was really only one she knew to be right. The only option left to her that would give her a sense of purpose and allow her to give back to humanity.

She would choose to fight with John, Cameron, and whoever else came. It was the only real option left to her but one she would gladly embrace. Her despair slowly began to dissolve away leaving her with a new purpose and while it wasn't forged and hardened like John's it was only a matter of time before the coming trials would forge her into something far greater than a scared woman.

"John."

He looked up, pausing in his discussions and work with Cameron and came over to her leaving his place beside Cameron at the workbench. His eyes meet hers and he could tell that she had finally made a choice in her life.

"What did you decide?"

"I'm going to fight with you two."

He gave her a warm and sincere smile and pulled the keys from his pocket ready to release her.

"Not just yet, but perhaps tomorrow."

"You know for complaining about having to wear them so much in the beginning you really are acting strange."

She giggled and it felt good, really good. He was right that she was being rather silly but these handcuffs that she hated so much in the beginning had become a comforting friend. A very strange thing indeed but she didn't care and knew John wouldn't judge her for it.

"Yes I am but let me be silly for a little longer."

"Sure. So you want me to carry you over to the workbench and we can all talk about the plans and what I need you to start working on with Cam?"

"Yes please."

* * *

John had been working on wrapping the bandages around Cameron's repaired right arm when Jessica called him over. As he sat her down across from them he noticed that she looked at Cameron's arm very closely.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it."

"It is, but I think it's also rather gross. I can help with some stuff but cutting open skin and tissue and then stitching it shut isn't going to be one of those things. How does it feel Cameron?"

"Good. The regeneration is moving along at a very good pace and will even finish up a little sooner than I expected. I have to be careful with it because too much movement could damaged the weaker sections of tissue."

Jessica eyed the places where some of the metal was still exposed and was amazed at just how quickly the skin was growing to cover the large gaps. She was even more surprised to see that the skin grafts used to cover her fingers were actually starting to look like fingers and small fingernails were beginning to take shape.

"How does that work?"

"Which part?"

"How you are able to use skin from any other part of your body and get it to take the correct shape and form of what it should look like based on where it's located, like on your fingers and palm?"

"My internal systems are able to send signals and chemicals to direct the regrowth of the tissues. It is mainly handled by my cybernetic to organic communication network. The fragile netting interwoven into my skeletal structure makes up this communication link."

"Are all Terminators able to do that?"

"No. This ability was added to me by John in the future. With the addition of the other organic tissues my abilities at regeneration have been greatly extended and it made it possible for me to be sent back on such a long term mission."

"Does that cybernetic interface do anything else?"

"Yes. It allows me to feel touch and other sensations just like a normal human. Other terminators cannot feel sensations on the skin and only know that damage has occurred to it by their internal sensor network. What I was given lets me feel the slightest touch and sensation, even the wind as it blows across my face, and I am very thankful for it."

"Wow. Well, anyways lets talk about what you want me to do?"

John had continued working on cleaning up Cameron's arm and carefully wrapping it with some creams applied to the skin to help prevent the bandages from sticking. The first change had been really messy and it took him a good 45 minutes to get it all removed and was glad he hadn't damaged too much of the tissue underneath. Once Jessica and Cameron were done talking he began to speak.

"I need you two to work on work on reinventing everything."

"Huh?", was the only reply Jessica had while Cameron just raised an eyebrow.

"I have been thinking and one of the biggest problems of the resistance is supplies and technology. I want the both of you to work on methods on building and manufacturing a large amount of the stuff we will need. I'm going to call this program 'Technology from Ground Zero'. Now I will need a ton of Cameron's time and because I don't really want her more than a shout away at any moment so you are going to have to do a large amount of this work running around with us when you need Cameron's help. Do you think you are up to it?"

Jessica tapped her fingers against the backside of her chair as she considered it with a slightly unfocused stare. It had started to annoy John a bit and he was just about to tell her to stop when she stopped and then responded.

"I think so but when you say 'Ground Zero' just how far back are we talking?"

"As far back as we need. I want to be able to make weapons and machinery on our own. If we can't build our own light bulbs we don't have enough figured out. That answer your question?"

"Yea, but this is going to be a ton of work."

"I know that is why I plan on keeping you and Cameron together as much as possible for a while until we get more help. Cam can keep track of several different things at once so if you and her are working on something while I am going over other stuff it won't bother her."

Jessica sighed at the scope of job John was asking of her. She knew a lot about materials, chemistry, and machining but there were quite a few areas were her knowledge was lacking. She also really wanted to have Cameron to help her as much as possible since she was so smart. There wasn't really a choice anyway and she wanted to help so she firmed up her resolve intent on doing everything she could.

"Ok. How many more people are we going to get?"

"I have no idea. It all depends on how many make it through the bombing."

Jessica shuddered at the mention of the bombs. She really hated thinking about it but had to ask another question before she began to cry again.

"How are we going to survive?"

John sat up straighter and gave her a sharp look. He hated to think about it but it was something that had been on his mind a lot recently and he knew it was really important. Well he might was well get some of his ideas out in the open. He felt Cameron reach over and start to rub his back and was very grateful for her support.

"I have two ideas and Cam can you please give me your analysis on both of them once I am done explaining them?"

"Of course, John."

"Alright then. First one I was thinking about is finding one of those old missile silos from the cold war and try rebuilding it to use as our first initial base. It could house a large number of people and is well protected by being underground which makes it hard to directly attack or find. The second is using the mountains and caves of the Rockies and trying to be as light and nimble as possible. While we are far more exposed the large expanse and lay of the land would mean that a very large force would be needed to cut us off or track us down."

Cameron considered both options and didn't really like either one. While their initial beginning was going to be really difficult either idea had large short comings and weaknesses. If they used an old missile silo it could be possible to use poison gas to kill everyone so the center would have to build a sealed life support system and it would be hard to stop Skynet from using a very large bomb against it. The mountains solved those weaknesses but meant that large forces would be impossible to bring together and it would make the supply lines very difficult to handle. She sighed and was just about to speak when Jessica spoke up.

"Why not use the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center? It is a big place and very well protected against attack and has been placed in something called warm standby the last I read about it. How about we head there?"

Cameron accessed her files about the center and looked over them for a few seconds and agreed it would be a very useful place to start their operations from. She turned to John was just about to give her opinion when he spoke causing her to frown.

"While it is a good idea I don't think we should use it. I had considered it myself when I first started thinking about this problem but felt that the chances of Skynet going directly after the facility to be very high because it is the perfect place and to me that makes it a honeypot. Now if we use an abandoned location Skynet will have trouble because there are just so many of them. The remains of the cold war are everywhere and Skynet is going to be hard pressed to go after all of them especially if we start to send out teams to plant traps in some of them."

Cameron was surprised by John's logical analysis and concluded that it would indeed be a high priority target for Skynet now that John made her think about it. Any location that would form the basis for a human resistance or a large place for survivors to gather would be near the top of Skynet's initial target list. John was starting to get that Commander Connor way of thinking already going and she was very happy to see it start to appear.

"What do you think we should do Cam?"

She smiled glad that she wasn't going to get cut off again.

"I agree with your analysis of the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center but do not like either of your other ideas very much. Both of them possess good strengths but also have large weaknesses. So, I think that perhaps we need to try using a mix. If we could find an old facility located in a mountain range we should be able to even out the strengths and weaknesses between the two ideas."

"Alright. So does anyone know of where such a place might be located?"

Jessica shook her head in the negative and Cameron's face became blank. She was searching through her records analyzing the suitability of each place she was aware of and quickly found a possible candidate that had been discovered by accident but wasn't located in any military records that existed in the future after Judgment Day.

"I do know of one that exists, it is on Calf Creek Plateau by the Sawtooth mountain range. The resistance discovered it in 2025 and had plans to use it but didn't get a chance to do much with it before I was sent back."

"Wow. That sure is close. Do you know what kind of condition it is in?"

"No. I only saw the message bulletin and it only listed the location and the recommendation for excavation and evaluation of the site."

John frowned. He was clearly disappointed because this was a very big decision and they didn't really have much time left and a single mistake could mean absolute failure. She reached over and pulled him closer wanting him to know that no matter what she would always be there to help him. He turned to look in her eyes and gave her a very grateful smile understanding her unspoken words and he wrapped his arm tightly around her back pulling her into him.

"Darn. Well, it is too close to pass up so I think we should head over there as soon as your repairs are fixed Cam."

"What if it is in bad shape? I mean we only have about 7 weeks before everything goes nuts right? So, what do we do about supplies and equipment. I don't see how we are going to make it with how little time we have."

Cameron gave Jessica an appraising eye. She could understand her fear and she didn't yet believe that John would be able to lead them through the mess yet and those problems were going to make her far more likely to panic. Cameron resolved to reassure her as much as possible as the days came closer and to kept a very close eye on her. She agreed with John that self termination was a poor choice and wasn't going to let Jessica take that path for herself. She was about to give her some words of encouragement when John cut her off again. She was really going to have to do something about that.

"Jessica don't panic yet. A large number of people made it through Judgment Day before, or later, or whatever. Time travel makes this hard to explain. Anyways, when the bombs fell many people had been going about their daily business and were completely caught off guard and they had little to nothing but where able to get through it. I promise you that we will be able to get through what is coming on Judgment Day. It is what comes after that gets really bad."

Jessica gave John a sad smile and Cameron could see the panic still present in her eyes. Jessica still hadn't fully recovered from the recent events but was trying hard as could be seen in her request to not be allowed enough freedom to self terminate.

"Alright but I am still pretty scared. Now lets get off of this subject of death and horror and give me my first project. If I could have something to start to work on it would really help to get my mind off of all this stuff."

"Alright. Cam what are some of the most needed resources for the resistance that we should focus on?"

"Weapons, food, water, clothing, and medicines. Clean water and medicine are a very important problem to resolve and many lives could be saved if those resources were readily available."

"Got it. So, Jessica how about you figure out a way to purify water from as many contaminants as possible, even radioactive ones and then come up with some procedures to manufacture several types of common medicines."

Jessica finally gave them both a smile because she now had something important to do and it felt good. While the project would be hard because of the lack of direct access to modern lab equipment and resources but she felt confident that she would be able to come up with something, especially with Cameron's assistance.

"I can do that, as long as I can get some assistance from Cameron."

"Wonderful. Cam lets call Derek and my mom in a few days and start to get a list of things for them to work on rounding up for us. Just remind me about it or I might forget to do it."

She game him a nod in understanding.

There were just so many things he had to do and it felt almost impossible to accomplish any of them. He had to ensure they made it through Judgment Day and had a safe and defensible position but it would be very important to start to attract as many survivors as possible as quickly as possible. It was just a bit overwhelming at times but he knew that somehow he would make it through it all.

"Cam, I was thinking and I think it is very likely that Skynet will attack all major operations of command of the various military groups. How do you think we should handle the various rogue military operations that this is going to create?"

"We should try to avoid most of them in the beginning. Unfortunately, most units will find our story unlikely at best and conclude that we have lost our senses because of the attacks. There will be many people initially who will try to organize the survivors around all sorts of causes and beliefs. It will not be until the machines began their search and destroy missions that it will become apparent who the real enemy is. Skynet will use this problem to its advantage to quickly gain an upper hand in the war."

John really hated Skynet's intelligent tactics and knew the fight was going to be a very hard one and everything they did in the beginning was either going to save them or doom them. Too bad it wasn't a game where he could just save it and try again if he made a mistake. Nope, everything had to be almost prefect from the start and a single mistake could cost them everything.

"I figured it might play out that way. All I have to do is look at Jessica to see how people are going to take my story. If we find survivors and give them food, shelter, and the promise of making it through the disaster we should do alright. Once it becomes apparent who is the real enemy then we will be able to layout the framework for the resistance. I think that if we can find military groups who have already confronted some of the initial machines from the initial attack we might be able to swing them to our side."

"Possible but unlikely John. I believe they will assume that a foreign human enemy is the cause and it will not be until they realize that the whole world was attacked at once will it begin to become clear that a single entity is responsible for the attacks."

"Yea, that does seem right. Well we can't know for sure what all will happen and we might get some early converts."

Cameron gave him a nod of agreement and concluded that was as far as they could really go for planning in that direction. It wouldn't be until they had secured an area of operation that more firm details and plans could be formulated.

"John, I believe we should now go back to working on what repairs we can for the day."

"Yep. Hey Jessica are you willing to help or do you still want to just sit around?"

"Are we going to be cutting any of her skin or muscles?"

"Not today. We are just doing the mechanical assembly."

Her face quickly changed from one of worry to vast relief. John had always thought she was rather cute, way too tall for him though, and it was nice to see her relax a bit.

"Now I can help with that. So, John can you undo my hands and we can get started."

John got up and let her out and handed her the keys.

"What's this for?"

"You can take care of yourself from now on. If you need one of us for something just let us know but you can keep the keys."

She looked at them for a little bit and then slipped the thin chain they were attached to over her head and around her neck, wearing them like a necklace, or more aptly like a pair of dog-tags a soldier would wear.

"Ok, but I still won't be able to get out on my own or tie myself all the way up. You guys are still going to have to take care of me a bit."

"We know but I think once you get to work on stuff things won't seem so bleak and you can try letting yourself out of your self induced prison."

"Perhaps but I have sort of developed a fondness for handcuffs."

She began to giggle and John wondered why it was so funny to her.

"My last boyfriend would have really loved it if I had told him that when we were still together. However, none of that really matters anymore. I really appreciate how much you both care for me and I'm sorry I haven't really been much help yet."

Cameron reached out with her left hand and took hold of Jessica's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Jessica looked up at her with tears welling up in her eyes but smiled all the same.

"Well Cam you're in charge here on this part, so what do we do first?"

* * *

Cameron quickly decided on how to divide up the work. She gave John the difficult parts that would involve cutting and drilling and had Jessica help her with removing the small components and cleaning up the new parts. Cameron was the only one who could evaluation if the parts were ok so that job fell solely to her.

"John we need to get that damaged armor plate removed from the left upper leg. You are going to have to cut it off as the locking mechanisms are deformed and ruined. Jessica you are going to help me remove all the small parts that we can from lower right leg and take apart the ankle joint."

Jessica and John both gave her a response of understanding and then began.

John started drilling away at the retainers holding the armor plate while Cameron explained to Jessica how to removed various parts off the right leg.

"What do we do about the wiring harness?"

"Leave that to John as he is very good at that sort of thing. However, if you look at the inner channel you can see the life support lines. Remove those and then get their counter parts from the severed knee area. Once you have those cut a replacement from this surgical tubing that is exactly the same length. Also, be very careful with the netting. As you get the parts removed make an organized spread of them and I will examine them."

"Got it."

John paused needing to get up and stretch his very tired muscles and get a drink of water. He was really worn out and the plate was giving him nothing but grief. He looked over at Cameron and saw her very carefully looking over the netting that Jessica had removed and Jessica was currently working on removing parts of the wiring harness with her tongue sticking out as she worked. Both of them were so busy in what they were working on they didn't notice him get up.

He came back with several bottles of water and earned a grateful smile from Jessica when he set them on the table. Cameron just took one and began to drink some as she continued working. One thing that would always stand out was her ability to work non-stop on a single task without getting distracted, something he really wished he could do.

"How do they look so far Cam?"

"In mostly good shape. There is some damage but it won't adversely affect my systems and with any luck the nerves in the regenerated tissue will compensate."

"What is that netting anyways?"

"It is a carbon nanotube structure with embedded conductive filaments that can selectively send and receive signals that are compatible with the human nervous system. In addition, it can be used to disperse chemicals that can be used to control the development of areas of regrowth."

"Wow. How did the resistance develop it?"

"It was developed after you encounter the I-950 models and learned how their systems functioned."

I-950? What a strange model number thought John. He had always believed that all Terminators had a T at the beginning. Perhaps this one was a very unique series of units.

"What is an I-950?"

"They are humans that are breed and raised by Skynet and have cybernetic implants. They can fool just about all detection methods and act just as human as another person but are under Skynet's control. While they are not as strong as any Terminator model they are much stronger than a person. However, they contain a fatal flaw which led to their disuse. This flaw was the fact that it was possible for them to turn against Skynet forcing Skynet to take control over them directly to accomplish their missions. However, once Skynet began to control them it became apparent they weren't really human anymore."

John had dropped his water bottle onto the table and stared at Cameron in utter shock and horror. He couldn't imagine anything more horrible than a person who was raised to do nothing but kill and if they tried to escape their fate loosing complete control of themselves would be a horror he didn't want to think about. He could just imagine an operative getting close to someone and then falling in love with them no longer wanting to complete their assignment and he couldn't imagine the rage and hate they would be filled with as Skynet took control of their body and forced them to murder the one they loved. It was just madness and if that wasn't hell he didn't know what else it could be.

It was Jessica who spoke first about it, with a bit of an edge of terror hiding in it.

"Are you serious? That is the most terrifying thing I have ever heard."

"Yes and many people have spoken much the same thing after the resistance was able to truly unravel the nature of the I-950."

"Unbelievable that is all I can really say to that Cam. I had no idea Skynet would even try something like that. It must have gotten rather desperate to try using humans, its most hated enemy, to go after people."

"It was and is very desperate. All attempts at assassinating you failed, never coming close to a successful conclusion after the war began and Skynet realized it had to try something much more different. The I-950 series was able to get close to you but somehow you were always able to figure out what was going on. This was another one of the many reasons why you become a legend among the troops. No one doubted what your instincts had to say and all of them would have marched to the very gates of hell if you declared, so to speak."

John placed his head in his hands and knew exactly why they were going to look up to him. It was his gift that was going to enable him to turn the tide of war and offer people hope and he had noticed after the last dream with Amy that he had begun to fell a faint presence out in the world. He knew it had to be Skynet and that somehow a connection existed between them tied by the very fabric of time, space, and fate. Somehow his very existence had been created by the will of billions of people for one purpose, to fight this war and give humanity a new future. It was a fate that was very hard to bear at times but with Cameron with him he knew he could get through it.

He reached out to her and wrapped his arm around her interrupting her work. She turned to look at him and he just stared into her beautiful eyes admiring the tiny specks of green that dotted their outer edges and slowly ran a few fingers through her long and beautiful hair that he always thought was so pretty. As they looked into each others eyes he could feel the love she felt for him and slowly reached down and kissed her. It was as sweet and pure as the one he shared with her the first time they kissed and he enjoyed every last second of it. As they parted he held her gaze and spoke.

"You truly are my light in the coming darkness. I love you more than anything else."

Cameron's eyes teared up and soon small tears were running down her face and she gave him a smile that filled him with a warmth unlike any other he ever felt before. It was the feeling of being loved for no other reason than because of his love for her. It released the pressure and tension and he felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders, if for a little while at least.

"Thank you John. That makes me so happy but it is hard to really explain."

"I know. I feel the same way."

"Um, do you guys want me to go away for a little while?"

John turned to regard Jessica seeing her nervous expression and then laughed at her. She had a few tears in her eyes no doubt finding the moment rather touching but her timing, at least, wasn't horrible. The moment had mostly ended but she made it sound as if John had planned to clear the table as he and Cameron embraced their passions. He didn't have plans to proceed that far, well at least not yet, because they had far too much to do and he wanted her fully repaired before anything else.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. Lets get back to work shall we?"

She gave him a really strange expression and then turned and looked at Cameron and noticed that her eyes were still glowing with happiness. It was the sweetest thing she had seen in a long time and she really didn't want to get in their way. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything but what should she do if they decided to go at it with her still around? She just shrugged and went back to work.

After making one final cut the darn armor plate was free and John was able to show his frustration to everyone.

"Finally," yelled John.

He took the removed armor plate and tossed it as far as he could throw it. It had given him nothing but grief and had taken him far longer than he expected to remove and he had made many small cuts in his fingers from it. As he sat back down he noticed Jessica's surprised stare and didn't turn to look at Cameron. He was rather angry and it felt good but he knew she would give him a little bit of grief over it.

"Did that make you feel better, John?"

Might as well face the music. He sighed and turned to look at her.

"Yea."

"Good. Why don't you take a little break and fix the wiring harness that Jessica removed. I checked it out already and it is a clean cut just like my arm was."

"Sure. So, you really don't care that I just tossed it out into the middle of nowhere like that?"

"Nope. Judgment Day is fast approaching and I doubt that a damaged armor plate is going to make any real difference in the war."

"Thanks for not bugging me about it. So, what would I do in the future when I got angry?"

"You tended to hang out in the exercise room or spend time up with some of the guards snipping anything that got too close."

He was really glad that she wasn't going to pester him and was glad that she understood. He could just imagine the yelling and screaming his mom would have given him over it and he reminded himself that while Cameron may be able to feel emotions just like any person she was far more understanding and logical than anyone else he had ever met and he loved that about her.

He grabbed the parts of the wiring harness and then got up to get the Fluke scope and he then realized that he was hungry. In fact, he was really hungry and wondered what time it was, 2:34pm reported his watch.

"Hey we haven't eaten lunch yet. You two hungry?"

"Very. For some reason I was so busy I didn't even notice it."

"I could use some more food. My reserves are running low and the tissues need everything I can supply to them right now, so yes."

"Alright. Hey Jessica can you cook?"

She looked at him surprised that he asked her. He had been doing all the cooking and cleaning while they had been out here so far and was a little surprised he asked her. Well, she hadn't really been much of helping hand material as of late so it made sense that he never asked her before now. She gave him a smile and replied.

"A bit. I was usually rather lazy and would just purchase something that didn't require much effort. If we have anything pretty simple I could cook it without trouble."

"Great. How about spaghetti and meat balls? Everything is really straight forward but you just have to boil the meatballs a little to rehydrate them."

"I can do that. Just show me how to use the stove."

She pulled the keys out and then reached down an unlocked the handcuffs on her ankles and set them on the table and after replacing her keys and walked over to John. He went over the controls of the stove and it worked just like a regular stove but used a liquid fuel and he told she might have to pump it if it began to loose firepower. He got the stove going for her and she then took over.

John walked back over to the workbench and began working on the wiring as Jessica cooked. As he thought about it while working he should ask Cameron to cook for him sometime. It would be really interesting to see how the food she prepared tasted.

John had gotten about halfway done and Cameron had gotten all the lower right leg disassembled when Jessica announced that lunch was ready. John got up and helped Jessica get everything on to some plates and then took one to Cameron, who had already made a place for it, and then sat down next to her with his back to the table. He really didn't want to get any sauce on something and knew that Cameron wouldn't let any of her food contaminate what she was working on. As Jessica came over he spoke to her.

"Just grab a chair. You don't want to get the sauce on the parts we are working on."

"Good idea. I didn't even think about it."

She set her plate down and pulled over a chair and picked her plate back up and tried her creation.

"Well it doesn't taste that bad to me. What do you guys think?"

"It's fine for me. You even got the little meatballs moistened well."

"I agree with John, as it is well prepared."

"Thanks guys, but it isn't a very hard meal to get right."

John snorted and had to hold in a large laugh or he would have ended up choking on what he had stuffed into his mouth.

"What's so funny?"

"I believe John is thinking about the time his mother failed at making a similar meal four times in a row before giving up in frustration and ordering pizza."

"No way? How in the world can you mess up spaghetti?"

"Unknown but I believe the exact words used by Derek were, 'it is a mystery of the universe man should not question or delve too far into because they will go mad.' I believe it was one of his more insightful moments I have ever been a witness too."

"Yea, Derek isn't really known for witty commentary but he does have his moments, as few as they are."

"Who's Derek anyways? I mean you have talked about him before but I never really cared to ask till now."

Well that sure is hard question that is difficult to explain thought John. He really hated trying to explain how his family tree worked because it didn't even make much sense to him. He turned to Cam and with a look asking for help and she got the hint and began to explain.

Once she was done Jessica said a different two words than she had to the last story they told her.

"That's nuts."

"You can say that again."

"John your family doesn't make any sense you know that? I thought I had it ruff because my parents died when I was young but yours weren't even born until recently. Very confusing."

"Yea."

"Now I have another question. What if Kyle dies before you can send him back?"

"Doesn't matter anymore. Time travel is off limits now and neither I nor Skynet can meddle with it anymore. Essentially, this is the last battle and who wins it this time takes it all."

"Why?"

"No idea but that is the way it is."

Jessica gave him a odd look that clearly said, 'you're acting crazy again', but she let it go.

They cleaned up the trash and then got back to work.

"Cam, now that I have this armor plate removed what do I need to do?"

"Disassemble the hip joint. Once you have that done I will be able to remove all the needed parts."

"Ok. I'm going to finish off the wiring assembly real quick and then start on the hip joint."

"What do I need to do?", asked Jessica.

"We are going to start assembling my lower right leg now that I have finished examining all the parts and determined their usability. Just follow my directions as we put the parts in place. Once we get to a certain point I will need to finish it myself as I am the only one who can do the adjustments correctly currently."

John quickly finished up the wiring harness and provided it to Cameron who was working side by side with Jessica on the leg. He looked at it and noticed that it was getting close, they just had to install the netting, wiring, connect a few more servos, and then lock the knee joint into place and it would be ready. Her left leg was far more damaged and still had a large amount of work to be done which they would have to finish up tomorrow he was sure.

He quickly began to release all the locks and was surprised that they all came out freely. Looks like the armor plate hadn't damaged the underlining structure as much as they might have suspected.

"Cam, here is the hip joint and you can now get everything removed from the leg."

"Thanks John. Jessica lets start by remove the servo wiring and connectors after we finish up with this leg."

"Got it."

John watched the two of them work and noticed how well they worked together, that same quick communication as before came right back to life, and he knew that those two would do an excellent job of building the technology that Tech-Com would require.

It was about two hours later when Cameron gave him the leg back to try and get the knee joint removed from the rest of the skeleton. It took him a whole hour to cut past part of the frame to get it to release from the bent and twisted lower part of the leg. He had been able to do all of it with the diamond bladed hacksaw but it wore him out completely. As he wiped swear from his forehead he checked his watch, 7:32pm and with it starting to get dark he decided it would be a good place to stop for the night.

"How about we turn in for the night? I'm just beat from all this work."

"I'm fine with that. I'm going to get changed and ready for bed and will be back in just a few minutes."

"Don't go too far because I want to be able to keep an eye on you."

"I won't Cameron, but thanks for worrying."

Cameron turned to look at John and could tell he was really exhausted from the work and she knew he would have kept going if she asked him. She did appreciate that he was willing to work so hard for her but she didn't want him to over extend himself.

"I agree too John. We are at a good stopping point and have made a large amount of progress. We have the lower right leg fully assembled a good part of the left leg disassembled. If we work hard tomorrow we might be able to finish the left leg and then we can attach my lower right leg once the regeneration cycle completes."

"That sounds like a lot of work still, but I would be really happy if we could get at least one of your legs working again. I even have some crutches for you to use."

She gave him a grateful smile always happy at how much he cared for her.

Jessica came back after finishing her business and picked up the handcuffs on the workbench and headed into the tent. John wondered if she was going to sleep wearing them but as he heard the clicking noises as she tied herself up he got his answer. It didn't bother him that she now liked to sleep wearing them but was a little worried about what they would do in emergency. Well, he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

"You're worried about Jessica's use of the handcuffs all the time, correct?"

"A little but it doesn't bug me that much."

"It is easy to explain John, she learned that she was safe and that people cared for her greatly while wearing them. She has mentally associated wearing them with being safe and will most likely do so for the rest of her life. She may not wear them as often as she gets older but I doubt she will ever stop doing so."

"Is that bad?"

"No, just different. Most people will not understand that aspect of her but as long as we don't bother her about it I'm sure she will be fine."

"Good."

With that John picked up Cameron and laid her down in the tent. He turned to Jessica and got her all setup for the night and then headed back out to take of his business.

"Cameron I heard what you said."

"Did it bug you?"

"No. I'm just really glad that you both understand and don't really care."

"Don't worry we won't judge you over it. Everyone has something that makes them fell safe and for me it is John."

"Thanks. Goodnight Cameron."

"Goodnight Jessica."

John came back in and zipped up the tent and curled up with Cameron happy at how much they had been able to accomplish over the last four days and quickly nodded off to sleep.

Cameron watched him for a while as he quickly fell asleep and then whispered, "Goodnight John. I love you with all my heart", before she herself entered standby mode.

**

* * *

Notes:** Sorry it took so long to get this one out guys. I have been busy but instead of going out and doing something in the city I'm staying at I sat down and typed this one out. I'm such a geek.

So, I thought the idea of using an old missile silo to be a neat one but I couldn't find a darn thing physically close to the mountains. So, with the magic of pen and paper I am making one. I don't think it is that hard to imagine that there could have been a site that was lost or not disclosed that just got covered up when it was decommissioned. Anyways, if any other is also curious check out the site www . siloworld . com and have a look. Rather nifty place.


	14. Quick Growth

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** I want to thank the people who sent me a PM since for some reason you can't review a reposted chapter even if the one you originally reviewed was deleted, rather silly. Also, I have never liked Sarah's character as it done on the show because she appears to be suffering from constant PMS and I don't know why anyone would bother to go out with her with that personality she gives off. So, I am giving her a bit of a hard time in this story.

So, I'm guessing the last chapter wasn't that popular with only get three positive responses for it or I confused the heck out of everyone with the rearrangement of Chapter 12. Well, I hope you guys like this one.

If you are still confused I will explain. I had two versions on Chapter 12 (making up Chapters 12 and 13) posted and once people let me know which one they liked better one of them was removed. After I finished fixing up Chapter 13 it was posted as the real Chapter 13 and this one is 14. Now as long as I don't loose my marbles again and release a dumb chapter we won't have to deal with something like that again. Hmm, perhaps I should find some beta readers.

The phone that John is using is a satellite phone he picked up and is the reason why the caller ID is unknown when he calls Derek. I didn't think of natural way to insert into the story and instead just went with the note route.

* * *

Derek heard the sound of a his phone ringing and quickly grabbed it off his nightstand after letting go of the gun he was holding while he slept with his hand under his pillow. He looked at the time, 6:42am, and the caller ID 'UNKNOWN'. He considered it for a few seconds and figured it very likely that John might have picked up a new phone so he answered it.

"Hey Derek."

"John?"

"Yea. Can you round up some stuff over the next week and grab my mom and meet us next Friday?"

"Yea sure. Where am I meeting you at?"

"Calf Creek Plateau by the Sawtooth mountain range in Colorado."

"What's there?"

"Not sure exactly yet. Apparently Tech-Com found an old underground military installation in 2027, so we are going to check it out and see about starting there."

"Got it. Now what kind of supplies do you need?"

"A ton of various stuff. Grab some paper and pencil and I will hand the phone to Cameron who can tell you everything."

Derek quickly scrambled to find something to write with and some paper. He ran over to John's room and was glad to see the various school supplies still present. He heard Sarah begin to stir, no doubt caused by his running, and then heard Cameron's voice.

"Hello Derek."

"Uh, Hi, I guess. I don't know if John told you but I'm going to try and be much nicer to you but this just feels really wrong to me still."

"Yes he did and I'm sure you and I can work it out if you give me a chance."

While Derek had made that promise to John it was another thing to talk to the metal... her, like he expected. He felt himself break out in a sweat at her offer of friendship and had to choke down his hatred. The only thing that ran through his mind when she asked him to get to know her better was of a black widow spider. He wiped his head and then sat down at John's old desk getting back to the task at hand and resolving to sort things out with Cameron no matter what.

"I'll try but just give me time and lots of space."

"I will."

"Alright, so what do you need for us to get?"

"Cash in all the diamonds that are left and get some large trucks and lifting, hauling, and winching equipment."

"I take it this is going to be a long list then."

"Yes."

Derek wrote everything down and soon had several sheets of paper filled front and back. It was one hell of a list and he could understand why they were going to need the money. Perhaps Sarah and him should knock off an armored car or something before getting started because he wasn't really sure if the diamonds were going to cover it all.

He heard Sarah open her door and begin to wander the house and she soon found him with a very unhappy expression.

"Derek what the heck are you doing in here this early in the morning?"

"Is that everything?"

"Yes. We will call you again with exact GPS coordinates so that you can find us quicker."

"Is that John?," asked Sarah.

He turned to look at Sarah but she had already charged him and soon they were on the floor fighting over the phone.

"Sarah, just hold on a sec. I'm almost done."

"I DON'T CARE, NOW LET GO."

She was so mad he didn't really have a choice and let her have the phone.

"John?"

"It's Cameron."

Derek watched as Sarah's face twisted into an expression of pure rage and hatred. She had come to hate and despise Cameron more than anything else over the last few months. Derek had tried to talk to her but somehow something had become broken inside of her and Cameron had become the target of her hatred. She believed that somehow Cameron had poisoned John in some way and anytime he tried to talk to her about it she exploded at him. He quickly learned to just leave her alone and hoped that when she got back together with John she would realize that everything was really alright.

"YOU! You shouldn't even be alive right now. What did you do to John?"

"I don't understand your question."

"THE HELL YOU DO! You had to have done something to him for him to choose you over me. I've protected and taken care of him since he was little and you just show up and somehow you are more important than me. It isn't possible unless you did something to him."

This wasn't good at all thought Cameron. She never expected Sarah to develop an irrational hatred for her while John and her were away. She looked over at John and motioned for him to come over.

"John is fine and he hasn't chosen anyone. He just wanted to protect me that is all. He still loves you very much Sarah."

"I don't believe you. Just what is it that you are planning? Derek was right all along that we should have destroyed you at our first chance and when we met again I'm going to fix my mistake."

Really bad. Cameron muted the phone and quickly explained the situation to John and then gave him the phone. Cameron saw the resolve form in his eyes and knew that Sarah would loose John if she tried to force him to pick between either her or Cameron.

"Mom?"

"John. I'm so happy to hear from you. Don't worry when we met up I will free you from whatever she has done to you."

"Stop it right now and listen to me! I'm fine and Cameron hasn't done anything and I am going to be keeping her around. I'm giving you a choice here so think about it carefully. You can either come here and work with us and never bother Cameron or not at all. I will not accept anything else."

Derek watched as Sarah's face fell and he knew that John had given her a choice. He realized that this was going to happen to him the day John took off and it made him think long and hard about what was really important to him thus making him realize that if he wanted to keep John as part of his family then he had to accept Cameron in some fashion or another.

"John you can't mean that?"

"I do. Now what are you going to do?"

Sarah began to cry and Derek could see the hate and fear unravel as she was forced to look at herself. If John had changed like Derek suspected he would have then it wasn't the boy that was talking on that phone anymore and Derek knew Commander Connor well. When he firmed up his resolve nothing could change his mind and his voice bore the strength of a steel far stronger the anything Skynet could ever build the Terminators with. Sarah didn't stand a chance before Command Connor and he knew it was cruel in a way but it would force her to start to see him as the man John had become.

"John please don't do this?"

"I am doing this. Now what is your answer?"

Sarah sucked in a shuttering breath and gave her answer.

"I will leave Cameron alone."

"Good. Now I have given Derek a list of things we need, so work on that and I will see you next Friday. Alright?"

"John I sill love you."

"I know."

He hung up the phone and thought to himself, 'but it was a machine who finally showed me what real love is.' He turned to look at Cameron and saw her worried face and relaxed and reached out and held her close to him. His time with Cameron had taught him many things but the one he was most thankful for was learning what true unconditional love felt like.

"John are you alright?"

"Yea. I will get over it but I'm not sure what to do about my mom?"

"It will work out. I'm sure of it."

"I hope you are right. Well, might as well finish making breakfast right?"

She gave him her agreement and he headed back to preparing the morning meal. Cameron turned and looked over at Jessica who was still sleeping away not even stirring once during all of the noise.

* * *

Cromartie filed away the latest information he had just gotten from Derek's conversation with John. He had been monitoring Sarah and Derek's phones for a while now because he had determined that John had separated himself from Sarah and Derek months ago and had been stuck monitoring their activities for contact. Cromartie knew that John had a strong attachment to Sarah and wouldn't just leave her behind which led him to conclude that the best course of action was to monitor their communications.

While Cromartie didn't exactly have any emotions he did feel a sense of completeness knowing that he was going to finally complete his mission. A small smirk formed on his face as he began to think about what he would need to get for next Friday.

He started his car to begin collecting the necessary weapons to make sure that John didn't have a chance at survival in their next meeting. He figured a minigun and some high explosives would be appropriate for the job and when Derek got the GPS coordinates he would know exactly where to strike.

* * *

John went back to getting things ready for the day. He had decided to make a form of hash with some potatoes, precooked bacon, onions, and some eggs which were unfortunately a powered substitute since there wasn't a fridge. It didn't take him very long and it smelled rather good. He cleaned things up and got everything put onto three plates and then headed back over to get the other two.

Cameron looked up at him as he ducked into the tent and held her arms out to him. They had been doing this for so long it had become very routine and it would be nice having her walking around for herself, but he really enjoying touching and holder her all the time.

"Jessica awake yet?", he asked.

"No. How about we eat first and get her up in a little while?"

He smiled at her and set her down on one of the chairs and then covered up Jessica's food. He would just reheat it later for her but it would be nice just sharing a moment with Cameron. After she was all situated he sat down next to her and handed her a plate.

"So, anything on your mind?"

"No. I just wanted to chat with you for a while."

John watched as she began to eat her food and noticed something a little off with her right hand. He reached out and grabbed her right hand and looked at it.

"John, what wrong?"

"Cam, have you looked at your hand this morning?"

John let go of it and she examined it. All the tissue appeared to be completely healed. She was confused because it shouldn't have been done for several more hours.

**INQUIRY - STATUS OF CURRENT REGENERATION CYCLE  
COMPLETE - ALL TISSUE RESTORED**

She was baffled at this development. How was it possible for her tissues to regrow this quickly?

"John grab me the scissors."

"Alright. Is there anything wrong?"

"No, but I want to double check."

John helped her cut off all the bandages and she stared at her arm in mild shock because it was in perfect shape. She turned to John and noticed he appeared to be rather confused.

"I thought it wouldn't be finished until later."

"You're correct. This is an unexpected development. I am going to start a diagnostic to see if the reason behind it can be identified."

**ANALYZE - DETERMINE CAUSE OF ACCELERATED TISSUE REGENERATION  
CAUSE KNOWN - BLOOD RECEIVED FROM BLOOD TRANSFUSION IS ROOT CAUSE**

She was shocked. Why would John's blood have this affect on her? She didn't know but suspected that it had something to do with Amy. While it wasn't anything bad it did make her worry a bit. She hated having things change on her without her realizing it.

"Apparently the blood you gave me is the reason for the faster regeneration. I don't know exactly why but I would suspect our friend Amy."

John's brow furrowed in thought and he began to tap his foot. It was a trait she easy recognized from Commander Connor and it was surprising how quickly a lot of those traits were making an appearance. With John's scar, all he needed was a few more wrinkles and a more weathered skin and it would be impossible to tell the difference. She waited for a little while not wanted to disturb his thoughts.

"I agree with you but she mentioned changes not just a single change so I think there are some other surprises in store for us. However, I'm not very worried about them being bad changes because I believe that she wouldn't hurt either one of us."

"I agree completely. Once I am fully repaired I'm going to see if I can spot any other changes."

They finished eating their breakfast together enjoying the view and sounds of everything around them. It was a nice and easy start to a busy day and they sat together holding each others hands. John loved just spending time with her because she always made him feel at ease since she knew everything about him. There wasn't another person in the world who could handle being his wife and what it would put them through. His future self had given him a gift that was better than anything he could have ever hoped for and he knew that Cameron would take care of him and make sure he never turned into what they were fighting against.

They had been like that for about an hour and twenty minutes when Jessica called out from the tent.

"John? Cameron? Either of you two around?"

John reluctantly let go of Cameron's right hand, still marveling at how perfectly it had healed, and headed to the tent.

"Hey there."

Jessica's face held a lot of worry, no doubt believing that they might have left her behind.

"Man you two scared the heck out of me. I was worried you might have left me alone for some reason."

"We wouldn't leave you. Ever."

Her face brightened up at his statement and he could see the relief in her eyes. He said it easily and knew it to be true. He would always do whatever it took to save those that were under his care and while he knew people would die in the coming wars he would never leave those still alive behind.

"Thanks. So have both of you eaten yet?"

"I cooked up some hash and Cameron and I already ate. I have a plate for you and it just needs to be reheated and it will be fine."

"Thanks. So do you want to get started on today's work right away?"

"That would be best."

"Alright. Can you untie my hands and I will get ready while you reheat the food."

Jessica sat up and repositioned herself so that her back was toward him. John reached out and pulled the keys from around her neck and used them to unlock her hands and set the keys down beside her. She stretched her arms out and picked up her keys. He had a silly smirk on his face as she turned back around and began to unlocked her ankles.

"I was tempted to let you try and get out on your own for a while."

"Very funny. You know that I wouldn't be able to do that. Now, if you don't need any help you can leave me tied up for most of the day and it wouldn't bug me."

"Now you're being silly and that tells me you're feeling better."

She stopped where she was having only unlocked one ankle and looked at John. She stared at his eyes and could see the concern they held and considered his words. While things had changed greatly they didn't seem nearly as dire as they did yesterday. In fact, things seemed a bit better and she had engaged him in the usual silly banter between friends. John was right and she felt a new happiness flow through her. She had never had friends that would care for her this much or ones that didn't judge her on stupid little things. It was really bad that it took the end of the world and almost thirty years to get her some descent friends. She raised a hand and began to wipe at the tears that had started to flow down her face.

"Jessica I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, really."

"I'm not upset at all. I'm just really happy that I have such nice friends now, really. So relax and get my breakfast ready."

"You sure."

"Yes."

Jessica was really confusing to him like most women did and it was such a contrast to Cameron. He could almost always understand and follow Cameron's line of thought and understood her feelings. Being around Jessica when she was like this always made him feel lucky that he had Cameron. John sighed and turned back heading to the stove intending on getting Jessica's breakfast back into an edible state. He got the stove fired up and tossed her food back into a pan and soon had it nice and hot when he saw her come over and sit down at the table as he was getting it put onto a plate. She had dressed herself in jeans and a t-shirt, no doubt planning on possibly getting a bit messy helping him with Cameron during the day.

Jessica looked at the food and inhaled the smell and found it very pleasurable. John was a really decent cook and she was glad that he cooked so often for them. If what he hold her about her mother was correct, Cameron's agreement in the matter made her believe it all the more, then Sarah would be the last person that should be allowed to cook once she arrived. She figured that John would be too busy to really do it much once things started to happen so she decided to try her best at it and see if she could improve her cooking skills.

She took a few bites and liked it even though she could tell that the eggs weren't real eggs.

"This is pretty good, thanks John."

"Glad you like it."

She continued to eat and looked over at Cameron and noticed the serene expression that her face held. John and Cameron were a real strange couple if you knew the truth but they fit together so well you would have never guessed that they should have actually been mortal enemies. It was almost like a doomsday version of Romeo and Juliet, only that play didn't include the deaths of three billion people.

Jessica thought that Cameron looked really nice today and as she continued to eat she felt that something was just slightly off with her appearance. It took her a few minutes but it finally clicked what it was.

"Holy cow! You're all healed up."

Cameron turned to look at Jessica with a playful expression running across her face.

"Of course I am. You slept through all of yesterday and John and I removed all of the bandages last night. We even talked to you a little bit about it, don't you remember?"

Jessica paused and struggled with what Cameron had just told her. Cameron's face showed no sign of deception and appeared to be completely serious. She was totally confused and tried really hard to figure out if she could have possibly slept through an entire day.

"Cam don't do that to her. She can't read you at all yet, but I have to admit that the expressions on her face are just priceless. It makes me wish I had a video camera to capture the moment."

"Wait, that was a joke?"

Cameron nodded.

"You were just teasing me?"

Cameron nodded again.

"Argh. I usually don't fall for such jokes but you had me completely convinced. John, how do you not get fooled by her?"

"You have to really know her very well."

Jessica pouted for a little bit and Cameron began to laugh at her. She had to admit that she was really surprised that Cameron would do something like that. Cameron always seemed so serious and focused on everything that for Cameron to tease her seemed almost out of the realm of possibility.

"Jessica don't worry too much about it. I only tease the ones I like."

"At least there is something positive about it then. Now I'm going to finish eating and then I would love to look at your arm."

"Sure."

Jessica finished up her food fairly quickly and thanked John for the meal. She came over to Cameron and carefully looked at her new right arm. It was beyond amazing because there wasn't a single scar or discoloration anywhere to be found. As Cameron moved it every which way she was unable to find anything wrong with it. If only a normal person could heal up like that.

"Wouldn't it be great if we could figure out how she does that and fix up other people the same way?"

John paused in his cleaning and turned to look at Jessica.

"Wait. Say that again?"

"I was just saying it would be amazing if we could figure out some of this regenerative technology works and make it work on humans."

"Shit! Why didn't I ever think of something like that. Damn! We could also see about adapting parts of destroyed or deactivated Terminators to aid soldiers who were badly injured. Can you imagine the advantage we could give a solider by replacing a severed limb with an artificial one as strong as any Terminators. Jessica as soon as we get stuff moving at a good pace with our Technology I want the both of you to focus on these ideas."

John's outburst really surprised Jessica as well as the pat on her back he gave when he came over.

"Good thinking. Really good thinking. Cam do you think it might be possible?"

"I believe so but the soldiers will have a hard time accepting it because of the intense hatred they will develop against the machines."

Damn, thought John, that is a problem. However, we just need to give them a role model of a solider who is admired and praised and possess implants and then I could turn the tide.

"I've got it. Cam we will tell people that you are solider who had advanced cybernetic parts implanted in a prototype program but it never got very far before the bombs fell. That way we can head off the machine hatred and give them a role model of someone to aspire to."

Cameron was amazed at the passion he held in his voice and thought the idea to be somewhat risky but it had a large number of advantages. He was really starting to think like Commander Connor and she wondered just how far he was going to adjust the timeline with her with him from the start this time. She found herself looking forward to the future for the first time in a long time.

"It could work but we will have to be careful with Derek, Sarah, Jessica, and Charlie Dixon. We don't want this secret to get out."

"Hey! I wouldn't tell a soul, I promise."

Cameron turned to look at Jessica and reached out to embrace the girl, enjoying having two arms to wrap around a person.

"Thank you. You must never ever speak a word about who I really am to anyone. Even if you find someone who you grow to love you must keep this secret even to your death."

Jessica swallowed and looked Cameron in the eyes and mustered as much conviction into her own as she could.

"I swear I will keep your secret."

"Great! I will take care of Derek and my mom. Derek will really dislike the idea but I think he will come around. His turn around really surprised me but I think he wants to have a family to be a part of and he knows that Cam will have to be a part of it so he will protect it. My mom is the one I'm really worried about, though."

"I would have to agree. She is very unstable currently."

"Yea. Well, I don't want to deal with that right now. Lets get started on today's work because it is already about 8:45am and I want to get as much done as possible."

* * *

They had gotten everything cleaned off the table and John had gotten everything for the repairs all laid out. The left leg was going to be their big project for today. If they could get the tear down all finished and get it assembled into two separate sections then it would be all ready for installation later. Once that was done he wanted to get Cameron's lower right leg attached and replace the armor plates in her chest. He knew Jessica would quickly bug out for that job and he could understand why.

"Alright Cam. What do you want us to do first?"

"John I want you and Jessica to start to assemble the frame of the upper left leg using the new parts. I'm going to get the left leg taken apart. Now that I have both hands in full working order I can get this done far quicker, especially with my strength."

Cameron wasn't kidding about getting it done quickly. Places where he would have had to spend an hour cutting it apart were done in a few minutes by her. She would just slowly bent the offending metal out of the way. The sounds it made were rather eerie and he kept on seeing Jessica look over at her with wide eyes. Jessica had only seen hints at how strong a Terminator could be and John was sure that if a kid saw her they would conclude she had to be super woman.

"Jessica!"

She turned back to face him trying to ignore what Cameron was doing. Still it really freaked her out but Cameron was still her good friend but it was hard to watch and it made her jump every time she heard the metal give under the force Cameron was applying to it.

"Sorry John."

"It's ok. Just hold this while I get these two 'bones' attached to the hip joint."

"Ok."

Jessica held them in place as he worked on attaching the parts. All that time taking them apart was at least starting to pay off and he was able to get them locked into the correct place. Once that was finished he ran the wiring harness and life support lines and connected up the servos needed by the leg. The placing of the netting and some of the other small parts he was going to leave to Cameron.

"Cam we have what we can do finished up."

"Thanks John. Can you start doing the same thing on the lower leg? Here is the ankle and the foot."

"No problem."

Jessica held things for John as he began to form the frame of the lower left leg. While they were working on that Cameron began to get everything on the upper section all finished up and in place. She had finished with everything on the left leg just as they began to work on the lower section.

It wasn't long before Jessica and John were again at a stopping point so they watched as Cameron moved very quickly and effectively at rebuilding everything in the upper leg section. It only took her about 15 minutes to get everything just the way she wanted and John was amazed as usual. She then grabbed the lower section and they watched her again perform those same amazing feats of superhuman skill which would result in a fully assembled left leg.

"I really wish I could move like you," said Jessica.

Cameron stopped and looked at her and smiled a bit.

"Yeah you are a bit clumsy at times but don't worry even I make mistakes at times."

John snorted and had to respond to her comment.

"I don't think I have ever seem you make a mistake in motor skills."

"You have seen a few and one was even during this last week."

"Ah, you mean the tree," replied Jessica.

John frowned a bit because he didn't really count that as a real mistake but he didn't want to bother arguing over it.

Cameron stopped moving and turned to look at both of them.

"We are all finished with the mechanical assembly and I would like to start on getting these reattached to my body. John I have a favor to ask of you."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Would you be willing to give me some of your blood again?"

"Cam you don't have to ask me that. You know I don't mind doing that, but why do you need some again?"

"Now that I know how quickly the tissues can regrow I believe we can get both legs attached today and then I can rebuild my upper right leg in two days. Once that is complete I will have you rebuild my left arm and install the armor plates in my chest the same day. This will allow us to be able to finish up a little sooner and get to spent a small amount of free time together."

Cameron spoke that last part with a little bit of longing in her voice and John quickly picked up on it. The idea of being alone with Cameron all whole again brought an immense joy to heart and he would give her everything he could just to make her as she was again.

"Absolutely."

Cameron turned and looked at Jessica.

"Now you aren't allowed to run off and lock yourself up for the rest of the day."

"Why not? I might loose all of my breakfast if I have to help."

"You don't need to help but I want you watch over John because I will need about 2 to 2.5 pints of blood and that could really put a strain on his body and I want you to be able to rush him to a hospital if anything seems troublesome in even the slightest bit. Can you do that?"

"Yes. I won't let anything happen to him, I promise."

"Thank you."

Cameron turned and looked directly at John.

"Thanks for not giving up on me."

He began to reply but she placed her fingers on his lips.

"I know what you want to say and I love you very much as well but what you did freed me and allowed me to become far more than what I was meant to be. John my heart will always fully belong to you and I want you to know that and to kept it with you at all times. Can you do that?"

He nodded and she put her hand back down.

"Now help me get out of these clothes and Jessica could you please clear the table and then bring over the medical supplies."

John helped Cameron get undressed while Jessica got everything she could out of the way. Once Cameron was naked John helped her up onto the table and Jessica came over with the various medical supplies.

"Um, would you two mind if I wait in the tent until it is time for the blood transfusion?"

"That is just fine and don't worry because I will be all bandaged up when we call you out for that."

"Thanks Cameron."

Jessica left and grabbed a book from the Jeep on her way over to the tent.

"Are you ready?", asked John.

"Yes. Lets first start with the lower right leg. Cut open the joint area and then make several long incisions in various places down the length of the leg. Try to space them about 4 inches apart and we will then get the necessary tissues from this area."

John nodded to her his understanding and then began. He opened up the joint at the knee and removed all the excess tissue growth and then pinned the tissues out of the way of the joint. He then began making the other incisions on her leg exposing the muscle tissues that would be needed.

"All ready."

"Now I want you to remove thin sections of muscle tissue that run the length of the lower part of the leg and then attach them like you did before. If you have trouble let me know and I can assist with this part."

"I know."

He began removing the sections of muscle tissue and then carefully stitched them onto the various areas of the leg using the dissolvable stitches. Once he had everything the way he wanted he had Cameron look it over. She nodded to him indicating that it was in good shape and then explained the next step.

"Now cut some more tissue out and run it across the arch and top of the foot and connect it to the connection areas present."

He began the work and soon had the needed tissue. However, since the sections were a bit smaller and harder to get too it was harder for him to attached the muscle tissues. After about 40 minutes he had finished up attaching all the muscle tissues.

"Time for the skin, right Cam?"

"Yes. Cut off the skin you opened up with the incisions on my leg but don't go over two inches across. Once you have several strips wrap up the leg just like you did with the arm but use two inch wide gaps."

"Okay, but why two inches this time?"

"Since the tissue was able to regrow so fast I think it can handle the bigger gaps without trouble. That is why we can do such a large amount of work today."

"Alright."

He cut off the strips of skin and then wrapped them around her leg and foot. Once he had all the strips secured he cut off another section and then folded it across and stitched them down the sides to make her toes and attached them just like he did with her fingers. He had her look at the completed leg and she went over it very carefully. After a few minutes she smiled at him and he began to carefully bandage the leg to allow for her to start her life support systems inside of it.

"Can I go ahead and attach it now?"

"Yes."

He carefully lined up the knee joint with the lower part of the leg and slid it home. Once he was sure it was all the way in he signaled to her to engage the locks. A few clicks and whirling noises soon followed and when he heard the slight hum emerge he was sure things were operating right.

"How does it seem?"

"Like I will be able to walk again soon. Go ahead and stitch everything up and bandage up the leg because we can't really take any more tissue from there."

"Will do."

While Cameron could do most of this work herself she like watching John do it because he put so much care into each and every stitch he did. Watching him do something like this for her allowed her to see a part of just how deep his love for her was and it made her feel safe and needed at the same time. When he looked at her she was still wearing a slightly silly grin.

"What's so funny."

"You. That's all."

"I'm starting to think you have been learning things you shouldn't have from Jessica."

She just reached out and ruffed his hair a bit enjoying the expression his face made at the mild annoyance. He quickly put it back the way he liked it, not that was much to alter since he had cut it so short right after taking off with her.

"Can you try starting up the life support systems?"

"Sure."

John began looking over everything and then spotted a bit of a leak.

"Hold on Cam we got a bit of a leak on your ankle. What do you think we should do?"

She looked at it and then looked at the supplies in the medical kit and found a solution.

"John unwrap the ankle and use this 'New Skin' adhesive to seal the affect area."

John took the 'New Skin' bottle out and then carefully unwrapped her ankle. Once he got everything cleaned up he had her slowly engage the life support systems until he could see where it was come from. After he spotted the leak he had her turn off the life support systems and then carefully sealed the affect area with the adhesive. Once he was sure it was dry he used some extra wrapping around the area and then wrapped up the ankle again.

"Alright, lets try this again."

He looked everywhere and didn't see anything else that was a real leak and gave her a thumbs up.

"Great. My systems show that minimal pressure is holding well so you did a real good job. Now we have to do the large one next."

"This going to get really messy isn't it?"

"Yes. I need you to open up my back and one of my arms and we will then need to take skin from openings on my back, arm, butt, and abdomen."

"Whoa, that is large amount of stuff?"

"I know but I want to put more tissue on this leg as a whole because it has a lot to fill in and I need to put more than just minimal life support into it to prevent the tissue on the extremities from not getting enough blood and nutrients and thus beginning to die and rot."

John nodded his understanding and got to work. He moved as slowly and methodically as he could so as to not cause Cameron any more damage than was absolutely necessary. The only thing really bugging him about what he was currently doing is that he kept having thoughts about the Hostel movies running through his head. He really wished he had never bothered to watch those stupid movies as a sort of sick curiosity and hoped that the director would 'enjoy' what was going to happy soon on Judgment Day. As sad as it was, there were some people John believed didn't really deserve to be saved.

"I think I have everything all ready Cam. Anything you want to do differently on this leg then?"

"Just try to put as much extra muscle tissue on it as you can but make sure to leave enough behind."

"Will do."

He set about his work using what he could from her back first. Once he had everything that he could use from her back he removed a few sections of skin and then carefully stitched up her back. Once he was happy with his work he carefully laid a blanket down and then eased her down onto it and attached the muscles to the left leg. He then began removing tissues from her arm and abdomen and applied them to the leg. After about two hours of work he was happy with how everything was attached on the leg and foot and had Cameron confirm that the work was usable.

"I am going to start to apply the skin now. How should I do the strips?"

"One the upper section make the strips about one inch wide and leave a half inch gap. One the bottom half use the same strip width but leave a gap of only an inch."

"Ok."

He carefully applied the strips of skin from her back and wound them around the leg and then began using strips of skin from her abdomen but only used areas across her stomach because he refused to harm her prefect breasts. It was silly he knew but he just couldn't bring himself to do it and she had raised an eyebrow at him avoiding the area but she was just going to have to deal with it.

After getting everything he could from her front and arm he carefully stitched up and bandaged the wounds and then very carefully eased her onto her stomach with several towel and blankets placed on the table to cushion the area and then proceeded to get the last bits of skin needed from her butt. He formed and attached the toes and the last bits of skin. Once he was happy with everything he wrapped up everything and then opened up the area on her hip where the leg needed to be attached.

He had to reposition it a few times but was able to get the hip joint to line up and then slide home.

"We're ready. Power it up."

He heard several clicks and clatters run down the leg and then a few whirls finally followed by the usual humming sound. She turned her head to look at him with a large smile on her face.

"Is everything good?"

"Yes, well at least mechanically. I now need you to get Jessica and we can do the blood transfusion and then finish checking for leaks."

John walked over to the tent and found Jessica with her noise buried inside a book and a pair of headphones on. He reached out and tapped her foot and she let out a small scream and then gave him a rather annoyed look as she took off the headphones.

"How is everything?"

"Good, but we need you so that I can start the blood transfusion."

"Alright."

Jessica got up and came out and looked at Cameron. She looked like she had been in a very horrible accident with the number of bandages plastered all over her body and with the amount of wrapping John had put onto her legs it looked like she had two broken legs to go along with it.

"Cameron are you alright?"

"Yes I am. I know it looks bad but in about two days everything will be healed if my adjusted calculations are correct."

"Wow. Even though I have seen it I still have trouble accepting that."

"Tell me about it," commented John as he came over with a small wagon.

"Jessica I want you to help me get Cameron into this and then into the tent. After I give her my blood I'm going to be far too weak to move her."

"Sure."

They carefully worked on moving Cameron first to the Wagon and then to the tent and Jessica couldn't believe just how heavy she was. Jessica wondered how John had been able to carry her around so much all this time.

Once they had her safely in the tent John put down several towels underneath her left leg so that if any leaks were present blood wouldn't get everywhere. He then began to hook up the blood transfusion equipment and noticed Jessica's rather pale face.

"Hey now I'm the one who should be fainting not you."

"I know but I really hate watching this kind of stuff."

Cameron looked at her and while Jessica was having a hard time with it she didn't show signs of fainting at present.

"John I believe that Jessica will be able to get through this."

John turned to carefully look at Cameron and then resumed his work. Once he had everything ready he spoke again.

"Everything is all set Cam. Just tell me when to release the line."

"You can begin now as I have lowered my blood pressure enough."

Jessica watched as John's blood began to flow into Cameron and thought it rather biblical in a sense. For some reason it reminded her of the story of Adam and Eve, but she filed it away as something to talk about later. As the minutes ticked by she started to become really worried because John was getting very pale and was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"John I have enough please stop."

John didn't respond and Jessica ran over to him and carefully undid the line putting a bandage over the wound. She then checked his vitals carefully and then turned to Cameron and could see the immense worry in her face.

"He's ok. He just fainted but will be fine and all his vitals look good."

Jessica watched the relief flood Cameron's face and she then carefully removed the other end of the transfusion needle and tubing from Cameron's neck and placed a bandage over the wound. She took the equipment outside and carefully washed it out and put it away.

As she came back into the tent Cameron spoke up.

"Jessica you are stronger than you realize. Once it came time to act you did it without hesitation even thought it was dealing with blood."

Cameron's words really surprised her and she felt herself beginning to smile.

"I think you might be right. Well anyways, are things in your leg ok?"

"Yes. The pressure is holding correctly so now all we have to do is rest. I will need some food and water soon but other than that everything is fine."

"Great. Well I'm going to go back to reading so just get my attention when you want something."

"Thank you."

"Thank you both for taking care of me."

Jessica curled back up with her book and Cameron watched John sleep happy that soon their long Journey would be over.

* * *

**Notes**: I do hope you guys like this one. Now I do have some good news and that is that I will get to have most of the weekend to myself and I feel like writting so I hope to try and get two more chapters out before I get slammed with work next work with the new clients.

One last thing for you guys. I have been wondering if Sarah should die or live past Judgment Day. Let me know which way you think it should be.


	15. Pain

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** Thanks for all the nice reviews guys. It's what keeps me motivated and wanting to continue writing my stories. Since we are getting closer to the meeting time I decided to add day and location identifiers in area to help you everyone know what day it was. Let me know if that helps or bothers you. Also, I was in a bit of an odd frame of mind when I wrote this chapter so it has a slightly different feel to it. Hopefully, very few of you will even notice it but if you do I'm sorry about that.

Also I was able to figure out what I wanted to do with Sarah. It will be rather interesting for all of you, I promise, but it will take a while to get it all done.

**

* * *

Friday Afternoon (LA - Connor Residence)**

Charlie Dixon had come over to the Connor's residence several times over the last few months to try and get involved. After all that he had seen he just couldn't let himself take a backseat to the fight and wasn't going to left Sarah push him away. However, every single time he tried she would run him out of the house with specific instructions that he never come return. He was hoping that he was wearing her down but today he saw a large moving truck outside their house and knew he had to act fast.

Charlie saw Derek getting in the truck so he quickly ran over to the truck and hopped into the passenger's seat.

"What the hell!?"

Derek had grabbed his gun when he heard the door open and then relaxed a bit when he saw that it was Charlie. Derek sighed and knew the guy wanted to help but Sarah was very adamant about not dragging other people into this. He had begun to think that what she was doing was stupid and wrong because unlike her he didn't believe Judgment Day could really be avoided and it would be best to get as much help as possible.

"It's just me. I just want to know what's going on and see if I can help."

Derek grunted a bit and decided he might as well let the guy in on what's going down.

"Well Sarah will be damn pissed about this but fuck it. Alright you can help but you have to be prepared to take off and leave everything behind and your wife's going to think you have lost your mind. So are you prepared to deal with all of that?"

Charlie stared at Derek for a little bit and felt his throat become dry. Derek was offering him what he had been after but now that he had a chance to join he felt a small bit of hesitation and it took him a few minutes before he was able to give an answer.

"Yeah. I can handle it."

"Remember you can't go back and you are wading into a huge nightmare of shit and gore. Are you really sure?"

Charlie swallowed hard and gave Derek a nod.

Derek reached over and slapped him across the back.

"Glad to have you because we have a ton of work we need to take care of. Here is a part of a list of stuff I'm trying to get organized for John and meet him with. Sarah and I are going to each drive a truck to meet up with him but it would be great if you could also drive one with some other supplies we will need. John's list is really complete but there is a ton of other stuff I want to take along with us that John didn't mention and I think we should get."

"Alright but how are we going to pay for this and this sounds like you're preparing for the apocalypse."

"John didn't say but I think things are going to hell faster than we had first thought. I'm pretty sure that once we meet up it won't be long before everything goes right down the shitter. So, just sell everything you got and get what you need to survive."

Charlie's face had become rather white and Derek could tell it scared him that the world was going to be blown to bits really soon.

"Alright. I will work on this stuff and keep in touch with you to know what I need to do. Man, this is going to be hard to explain to my wife."

"Yea it will. Anyways, here is my cell phone number. Don't come by with Sarah around as she will just chase you off."

"Ok. What about agent Ellison? He knows what's going on and I'm sure he would be willing to help."

"I don't know him and since he's a Fed he worries me. I will let you make the call on him but I'm going to get Sarah and me over with John before I tell you where to meet up. I just don't like surprises and be darn careful as you take care of rounding up this stuff. Anyways, give me that list back and you can take this one."

Charlie swapped lists with Derek and looked over the one he had just gotten. There was a ton of stuff on it, mostly food and medical, but he figured there would be some other stuff that would be really useful that he would add to it as he worked on it.

"Thanks Derek. When are we meeting up with John?"

"No problem and I don't know yet. He's going to call me with the information. So take care of yourself and don't attract any undue attention while working on this stuff but be ready within a week."

"Got it."

Derek watched as Charlie got out of the truck and took off. He hadn't told him that John wanted to meet up by next Friday because he wanted to keep that information under tight control. Once he was sure things were safe he would call Charlie and have him meet them. John would be alright with it but Sarah would be really mad but he suspected John would be able to handle her.

He started the truck and began working on rounding up some of the stuff on the list and also planned on picking up a small present for Cameron. Something that he had seen at a scrap yard and figured it would really suit her.

* * *

**Saturday Evening - (Pargin Mountain range - Resistance Headquarters)**

The past two days had been really hard on Jessica. John was really wiped out from the blood transfusion and Cameron required a ton of food to help her body heal up. It was like taking care of two sick kids and it had gotten on her nerves really quick. However, she had no intention of giving up because if she couldn't handle something so simple how was she going to be able to deal with what was coming she asked herself.

"Jessica could you come back to the tent with a pair of scissors?"

Jessica put her book down and looked around for a little while before finding the object Cameron requested. She headed back over to the tent and looked in and saw John still sound asleep with his head on Cameron's chest. Cameron had kept him very close and made sure he ate what Jessica prepared for them. She was still amazed at just how caring Cameron was with John and had quickly found herself not thinking of Cameron as a machine in anyway but as a really caring wife for John. It was an odd change in her mind but she couldn't stop the transition as Cameron was just too human to be thought of as some emotionless killing machine.

"Thanks Jessica," said Cameron as she poked her head in.

Cameron motioned for her to come over so Jessica came in and sat down next to Cameron with the scissors in her hand.

"So are we going to have to redo your bandages again? That first time was really difficult for me."

Jessica still had a very hard time thinking about the changing of the bandages yesterday. John had barely even woken up to eat so there wasn't anyway he would be able to help Cameron and since it was best if her legs weren't moved much it made it impossible for Cameron to handle it all by herself. Jessica had hated every single moment of it but had kept herself focused on the task and she really liked the warm smile and thanks Cameron gave her for the assistance she provided.

"Actually my systems are reporting that the regeneration cycle is complete. It shouldn't be done yet and if is then my calculations appear to have been off again so I want you to help me remove the bandages so that I can see what is going on."

"Alright. Do you want to move John or do you want me to just do all of it?"

"If you could please do all of it that would be wonderful. John is doing much better today but I would prefer to let him sleep as much as possible."

"I can move Cam."

John had heard them talking and while he loved hanging on to her he wasn't feeling nearly as bad as he was yesterday. He began to push himself up only to have Cameron wrap her arm around him and firmly pull him back down and as he looked at her he could tell she wasn't giving him a choice in the matter. His only option was to accept being loved by her and he smiled and hugged her.

"I think she isn't going to give me a choice Jessica."

"Well I think she is right and I had almost thought you died on me when you passed out the other day. So it would be better if you would just take it easy for a while, alright? I'm going to start cutting them off so let me know if anything feels wrong Cameron."

John gave Jessica a smile and a nod to her question while Cameron spoke her reply.

"I will, you may proceed."

Jessica inserted the top of the scissors near the top of Cameron's left leg and began cutting downward until she reached the ankle. She then repositioned the scissors and then opened up the bandages on Cameron's left foot. With that done she began to split the bandages and let out a small gasp at what she saw.

"Jessica what's wrong?", asked John with a little worry in his voice.

"Nothing. Her foot and ankle are just prefect and you can't even tell that she was hurt. This is just so amazing."

Jessica quickly opened up the rest of the bandages and marveled at how perfectly her leg had healed up. Not a single scar or discoloration was present while yesterday there was still exposed muscle tissue as well as some of the metal skeleton still visible so it seemed impossible that she could have healed this quickly.

"Even after seeing how your arm healed up this is just amazing. I mean it is perfect and there isn't even a tiny bit of scaring."

"Hey Cam let me at least look."

"I guess."

Cameron released John and he carefully rearranged himself to look and just marveled along with Jessica at how beautiful Cameron's skin was. He took the scissors from Jessica and then opened up all the bandages on her right leg and the same perfect skin stared back at him. Tears soon began to fall and Cameron reached out and took his hand and he could see the worry on her face and in her eyes.

"I'm just really happy Cam. You're finally whole again and it feels so good I just can't stop myself from crying over it."

"Thank you so much for caring so much about me. I wouldn't even be alive now if it wasn't for you. Thank you so much."

Jessica watched as both John and Cameron held each other, tears freely flowing from both of them and she felt herself tearing up over all of it. It felt like some silly scene out of a soap opera with everyone breaking down into a mess of tears but it didn't matter because she was so happy for the both of them.

It took a little bit but soon everyone had calmed down and John had carefully removed all the other bandages on Cameron's body and nothing remained that even hinted at the horror that had been inflicted upon her when the car bomb exploded.

"So, is everything done then?" asked Jessica.

"No. I still have to rebuild my left arm and upper right leg. Also, I need to swap out the armor plates in my chest and then we will be all finished."

Jessica watched as Cameron stood and felt a little jealous over just how prefect her body was. She was a very beautiful woman and any man would have been immensely lucky to have her love. John had begun to try and stand but Cameron carefully pushed him back down. He seemed to take the hint and just sat there as Cameron got dressed, something she hadn't been able to do on her own in a long time.

"Cam, what are you planning on doing?"

"I'm going to make us all dinner."

"I have really wanted to know what your cooking might taste like."

"I have also, John. Jessica could you assist me a little bit since this will be my first attempt at cooking."

"Sure."

Cameron turned and looked at John and gave him a stern glare.

"Now you stay put. You are still really weak and your body needs some more time to recover and replace the blood you gave me and I will be really mad if you try to leave the tent."

John smiled at her and swore that he would stay put. Jessica followed Cameron out of the tent and over to the cooking supplies and watched as Cameron began to clean things up a bit.

"What do you want to make?"

"Based on the supplies that we have I believe I can make a beef noodle dish. It is simple and will just require some of the egg noodles and canned beef we have along with a packet of brown gravy. Do you think this would work?"

"Yea. So, why do you need me?"

"I want you taste it as I make it. I can taste things just like a person can but I don't have nearly the experience a normal human does with regards to when something tastes good or bad."

"Makes sense. So, how do your legs feel?"

"Different. The new servos are much stronger so I am using my human muscles to move me around currently because I have yet to fully analyze and understand their abilities. The other large difference is that the new material is lighter and so it doesn't take nearly as much effort to move. Once we get my other leg all finished up it will make things more consistent."

Jessica pulled up a chair across from Cameron's place by the stove and watched her begin the process of boiling some water for the simple meal.

"How long do you think it will take for John to recover and when do you plan on doing the rest of the parts swap?"

"I believe he needs about 3 weeks to recover and I want to do the other parts tomorrow."

"What? How is John going to be able to help you then?"

"I can take care of the leg and armor plates in my chest without help. However, you are going to help me rebuild my left arm."

"I can't do that! I will just freak out and break down over the whole mess. There is just no way I can do that Cameron."

Cameron locked eyes with Jessica and tried to offer her the most reassuring expression she could.

"Jessica you are stronger than you realized. When you quickly reacted to John's fainting you didn't even flinch and instead did what had to be done. This has to be done and you need to help me do it. With John needing his rest to recover our protection now falls to me and I must have every advantage I can get and this new material offers me that."

Jessica swallowed to try and relieve her suddenly dry throat but it didn't help and instead she reached out and gabbed the bottle of water that she had left nearby. While what Cameron had said was very true the idea of doing what she was asking of her scared her so much she doubted her abilities.

"I will try."

Cameron smiled at her and went back to her cooking with Jessica intently watching her precise and exact movements. Those movements were really the only thing that allowed you to see that Cameron was more than what she appeared to be and Jessica always found them fun to watch.

"Taste this please."

Jessica took the fork from Cameron that held some beef, gravy, and some of the spices she had put into the mix and tried it. It wasn't bad at all just only a little bit too salty but still just fine.

"It's good. The only thing to change would be the level of salt because it's a little too high."

"Thank you for being honest."

Cameron created three plates containing her first meal and gave one to Jessica and then headed into the tent with the other two. Jessica decided to stay out here and let John and her have a little time together without her bugging them. As she began to eat she thought about what the future was going to bring but wasn't nearly as afraid of it now since she had wonderful friends to help take care of her.

As Cameron entered the tent John sat up and was about to try and come over to her but Cameron's rather fierce glare told him to stay put. He eased himself back down and watched as she rolled her eyes at his silliness and felt himself laugh a bit.

"Did you have much trouble and where is Jessica?"

"No and it appears she wants to stay outside and let us be by ourselves for a little while."

John took the plate Cameron offered him and handed her one of the nearby water bottles to help her wash the food down.

"That sure is nice of her."

"She is a very nice and understanding person."

"That she is."

John gave Cameron's meal a try and found himself rather surprised. It wasn't bad at all and was just a tiny bit too salty but for a first attempt it was very good and it was still far better than anything his mother would make. What she had made wasn't a complex meal at all but it was done well and that was all that really mattered to him.

"I like it. Thanks for cooking for me."

"Your welcome."

"Anyways, I was hoping we could try and get the last bits of your old skeleton swapped out in a day or two because I should be fine by then."

"Jessica and I are going to do it tomorrow and you are going to stay in bed and rest."

"Hey now. I'm not an invalid and I want to help."

Cameron sighed fully expecting John to act this way. She knew he wouldn't want to sit out on anything involving her and while she greatly appreciated it he needed to recover and get his strength back.

"John I need you to rest and recover. I will be able to take care of most of the work and will only need help with my arm and if for some reason Jessica isn't able to assist me or we need additional help we will get you. So could you please just rest for me?"

"I guess, but I just want to take care of you."

She moved herself closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder while wrapping her arm around his back.

"I know and you have but now it is time for me to watch over you for a little while. Alright?"

"Yea, but I am feeling a lot better."

"I know but I want you to feel great not just better."

John moved a bit and adjusted himself so that he could look into her eyes and slowly ran his fingers through her hair enjoying its soft and silky texture. She was truly the best thing that had ever happen to him and would have loved to write a letter of thanks to his future self for the amazing gift he had given him if that was possible.

"Thanks Cam. I will just rest and relax for you but once I feel better I want to be with you as much as possible before everything comes apart in the world."

"I promise you that we will do that since I also am greatly looking forward to such moments."

There wasn't really anything more to say so they finished up their meal enjoying the comfort of each others presence. Once they were done eating they had stacked up their plates and just sat together in a warm embrace letting the feeling of each other run through both of them.

Jessica had begun to worry a little so she got up and found them laying down and holding onto each other. It was a sweet sight and she carefully grabbed the dirty dishes and headed back outside, with a slight smile from Cameron thanking her for getting the dishes, to clean everything up and get ready for the night. She was going to have a hard time tomorrow working on Cameron's body and it made her immensely uneasy but she trusted Cameron and had to believe that Cameron's faith in her wasn't misplaced.

Once she had everything all cleaned up and put away she headed back over to the tent and heard the regular breathing of John as he snoozed away with Cameron still holding him. When she looked at them and how happy they were it made her a tiny bit jealous because she really wanted something similar for herself.

"Cameron, I'm going to get ready for sleep so that we can get started tomorrow."

"Alright."

Jessica quickly changed and then grabbed her handcuffs wanting to feel their embrace again since she hadn't been able to for the last two days while taking care of John and Cameron. She noticed Cameron's quizzical expression as she locked the set about her ankles and then turned to face her.

"I just want to be like this tonight so will you help?"

"Yes. Don't worry I won't judge you for what you want and I appreciate you taking care of both of us for the last two days."

"Thanks."

Jessica finished up and Cameron helped her finish up with her handcuffs and she felt herself feel 'safe'. She didn't really understand it but being like this make her feel very safe and secure and she enjoyed it greatly. She settled herself into a comfortable position and Cameron covered her up and soon she drifted off to sleep with the quite snoring of John in the background.

Cameron watched as Jessica began the regular rhythm of breathing that sleep creates and laid her head back down on John enjoying listening to his heartbeat. She was rather worried about what was coming up and how John was going to handle all the stress of seeing everything fall apart. While she was sure he would be able to handle it eventually she was scared at the cost he might have to pay to be able to do it. She resolved to do everything she possibly could to help him in what ever way she could since her life, body, mind, and soul completely belonged to him.

* * *

John woke up and felt Cameron's embrace and noticed that he could see his breath in the cold of the morning air and was really glad that Cameron had kept him warm all night. He turned his head and looked over at Jessica and noticed that she had put her handcuffs on for the night but she seemed really peaceful right now. Oh well, he had a more pressing issue to attend to right now, mainly the need to desperately use the bathroom.

"Cam."

She opened her eyes to look at him and he felt his heart fill with joy at being able to wake up to such a wonderful sight.

"I need to get up and use the restroom."

"Alright. Just don't wonder off to far."

"I know."

He quickly took care of his most pressing need and then quickly got back into bed with Cameron and covered himself up very happy to be back in his warm bed.

"What time is it?"

"It is 6:19am"

"Thanks. I'm getting rather hungry so how about we make some breakfast in a little bit."

"How about I make breakfast and you stay here?"

"Cam, I can at least do something that simple."

He watched her face carefully and could see the small changes move across it as she considered his statement. He doubted that anyone else could read her like he could and it made him feel quite a bit more special.

"I guess, but I don't want you doing anything else."

"I think there is something you might be missing in your analysis."

She tilted her head and looked at him, no doubt wondering what she might have missed or what he might be referring too. He always found it very fun to be able to confuse her and then watch as she tried to figure out the problem.

"What if my body is able to heal faster now as well since it was my blood that allowed your body to heal so quickly?"

"It is a possibility but we have no proof that it is true and until we know for certain I refuse to take chances with your health."

He smiled at her and then laughed a little bit which woke up Jessica.

"What's going on?", she asked as she blinked away the sleep from her eyes.

"Cam and I are having a discussion about my health."

"No. I have made up my mind so there is nothing more to discuss."

"Well, alright but I am going to go back to sleep. Just wake me when you need me."

Jessica rolled back over and John reached over and covered her up to help keep her warm.

"Thanks John."

"Sure."

"Alright Cam I will do what you want. So, lets figure out what to make for breakfast this morning."

"Thank you."

After rounding up a simple breakfast and dragging Jessica out of bed to eat with them it was now almost 8:00am. John was putting the finishing touches on his fire and Jessica kept on rubbing her hands together and blowing on them obviously rather cold. Cameron on the had was mostly indifferent to the temperature but she had goosebumps all along her arms and legs but unless it was cold enough to cause frostbite she didn't really worry about it.

"There that should do it," spoke John as he put a few bigger logs on the fire.

Jessica quickly got as close to it as possible to warm herself up and John enjoyed that feeling of it. Cameron walked up next to him and imitated his motions, no doubt trying to understand the comfort the fire offered humans.

"You don't really understand it fully do you?"

"Not really. I know it offers heat but I don't really understand why it feels good."

"Well since you can't really feel pain I'm not sure it is possible to explain that. I guess that would be the one area where are still very different."

"Perhaps, but I do want to still try and understand."

"I know. Hey Jessica do you have any idea of how to explain the comfort of fire to Cameron?"

Jessica looked up at him with a happy expression on her face as she worked on warming up her back.

"Not really. I mean it just feels really good after being cold. I know that doesn't help at all but that is how it feels."

"Well thanks for trying. Cam, what she says is basically what I was thinking. It just feels really good to be able to warm up when cold or surrounded by the cold."

Cameron face held a thoughtful expression for a little while as she warmed herself trying to find more about the pleasure that existed in what John and Jessica were doing.

"Any luck, Cam?"

"Not yet. I can feel the heat and it does make my organic components more comfortable but it doesn't seem to give me much in the way of pleasure. I will have to examine this in more detail later."

"Ok. So, what do you want to do first?"

"Well, I want you to go lay back down and Jessica and I can work on this project."

"You're not going to let me get out of that are you?"

"No."

While Cameron's tone held a note of finality in it he could also tell that she was being a little bit playful with him. It was hard to pick up on but it was there but he decided not to push the issue or she might put off her repairs in order to make sure he rested like she wanted him too. As he walked back over to the tent he smiled and reminded her that she had promised to get him to help if Jessica was unable to do the work.

Jessica looked over at Cameron as she began to get out the various medical supplies and organize the workbench to her needs. Jessica really didn't want to be doing any of this but she had promised to help even if it meant that her breakfast was going to be coming back up soon. However, once this was done she intended to just relax for a few days and let John and Cameron have some 'quality' time to themselves. They both really needed it and she could tell that having Cameron all back together had made John very happy, in fact, he seemed more happy than she ever remembered him before.

"Cameron is it ok if I not watch the first set of repairs and just stay over here?"

"Yes. I can take care of this work on my own and if you want you can go wait in the tent until I am done. It should take me about 45 minutes to an hour to complete the job."

"Thanks. Just call me if you need any help and I will give you all the assistance I can."

"I will."

Cameron watched as Jessica headed back to the tent with a new book she had grabbed from the Jeep. Cameron thought about how Jessica was slowly changing inside and didn't doubt that she would be able to do the work required of her now and in the future. It would be very interesting to see what type of person she would be forged into once things become far more serious and Cameron planned to make sure that she survived and would be there to help her get through all of it.

Cameron stopped her speculation and now focused on the job at hand. She choose to do the front armor plates first and removed her clothes from the top half of her body. She quickly opened up an incision than ran across her chest from shoulder to shoulder just under her collar bone. She then cut downward on either far side of her body and carefully separated the skin from body folding it over as a large flap of tissue. She then set about moving the various muscles out of the way and soon had the four armor plates exposed.

**DISENGAGE LOCKS ON ARMOR PLATES F101, F102, F201, F202  
PROCESSING PLEASE WAIT......DONE  
ALL LOCKS SUCCESSFULLY RELEASED**

She quickly removed all the armor plates exposing some of her most vital systems. She examined the replacement parts one more time and upon finding no fault in their construction she inserted each of them into the correct location happy that everything went in perfectly fine and without trouble.

**ENGAGE LOCKS ON ARMOR PLATES F101, F102, F201, F202**  
**PROCESSING PLEASE WAIT.....DONE  
ALL LOCKS SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGED  
PERFORM DIAGNOSTIC (Y/N)?**

**RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC. PLEASE WAIT.........NO PROBLEMS DETECTED**

She then reattached the muscle tissue and then stitched up the large flap of skin. Once she was happy with the stitch work she applied some cream over the stitches and then put bandages over them to help protect the tissue during the regeneration cycle. She figured that everything would be healed up by tomorrow morning and her arm and leg might also be healed up by tomorrow as well with how quickly she was able to regenerate now.

She got up and removed the rest of her clothes and sat back down. She carefully used the scalpel to open up the area around the hip joint. Once she had the joint fully exposed she began the process to remove the leg from her body.

**DISENGAGE LOCKS H01 THROUGH K01  
WARNING LEG MAY BECOME DETACHED. PROCEED (Y/N)?**  
**PROCESSING PLEASE WAIT  
SHUTTING DOWN AFFECTED LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR RIGHT LEG  
PROCESS COMPLETE. ALL LOCKS SUCCESSFULLY RELEASED**

She took hold of the leg and removed it from her body and placed it on the workbench. She then made two long incisions that ran from the hip joint to the knee on either side of the leg. She then folded back the skin and cut the affected muscle tissue to disconnect it the old 'bones' that needed to be replaced. Once she was happy with her work she pulled out the hip joint and removed all the affected parts and had to carefully work around the netting. With that done she slide each bone out from the knee joint and then slid the replacement parts into the knee joint being ever careful of the netting. Once she had all of it lined up she replaced all the parts she removed and then reattached the hip joint to the leg. Happy with how everything looked she reattached all the muscles and then stitched up the incisions she had made and then picked up her leg and lined up the hip joint and slid it home.

**ENGAGE LOCKS H01 THROUGH K01  
PROCESSING PLEASE WAIT.....DONE  
ALL LOCKS SUCCESSFULLY ENGAGED  
ENGAGE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS (Y/N)?**

**LIFE SUPPORT NOT STARTED. WARNING BIOLOGICAL TISSUE WILL BEGIN TO DEGRADE IN 12 HOURS**

She carefully stitched up the area around the hip joint and then covered all the affected areas with the cream she used before and then wrapped the leg up in bandages. She knew John would be a bit unhappy that she was again covered in bandages but it wouldn't be for long.

**START LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR RIGHT LEG  
PROCESSING PLEASE WAIT.....DONE  
PERFORM DIAGNOSTICS (Y/N)?**

**RUNNING DIAGNOSTIC....NO SERIOUS PROBLEMS PRESENT, REPORT OF MINOR PROBLEM FOLLOWS  
SLIGHT TISSUE DAMAGE PRESENT REGENERATION CYCLE IN PROGRESS, ETA IS 9:32:14.344**

She didn't really believe that the calculation was correct but hopefully it would be a bit closer. The rate at which her tissues could regenerate didn't follow in the linear progression like they did before and she didn't have enough data to be able to come up with a new and more accurate method for her systems to use so instead she had done a few quick approximations.

She stood up and put her underwear and skirt back on and then walked over to the tent.

"Jessica I now need your help."

Jessica looked up from her book and her eyes widened a bit at the amount of bandages and she saw John's face fall at bit. No doubt he was a bit more upset over seeing her 'hurt' again. Well, this was the last time and then they could finally put this dark chapter of their life behind them.

"Cam, are you alright?", asked John.

"Yes. Everything should be healed up by tomorrow so these bandages are just very temporary. It is much easier when I don't have to regrow large amounts of tissues like before."

"Yea I guess, but it still bugs me."

"I know but it is only for a short amount of time."

He gave her an encouraging smile and she could tell that he was thankful for her encouragement. Jessica had put her book down and then followed Cameron out to the workbench and quickly noticed the fresh blood and felt her stomach lurch a bit.

"So what do we do first?"

"I'm going to mostly cut open the shoulder joint but I will need you to help because it is hard for me to gain access to all of it."

"Ok," replied Jessica in little more than a whisper.

Cameron quickly reached out and grabbed her while making eye contact.

"I know you are scared but there isn't that much blood since my body with have shutdown life support to the area. Also, I won't feel any pain during the process but I can't do this without you. Just please be strong like I know you can be."

"I will. I'm just a little scared but I won't let you down."

"Good. Now lets begin."

Cameron released all the locks and then shutdown the life support systems before cutting along the shoulder area to start to expose the shoulder joint. She handed the scalpel to Jessica and instructed her to finish up the cut on the back side of her shoulder.

Jessica took the scalpel and slowly began cutting with her hands shacking rather badly but they steadied a bit as she finished the incision.

"I'm done."

"Good. Now please use some of these pins to get the tissue out of the way like what I am doing on the front side."

Jessica was quickly having a very hard time keeping her breakfast down but was able to do as Cameron instructed.

"It's finished."

"I now need you to grasp the arm by the bicep and tricep and then pull out and away from my body which will cause the arm to detach."

Jessica held the arm as Cameron instructed and then pulled. However, she didn't expect it to come out nearly so easily and almost dropped the arm while she steadied herself from using far too much force. Once she was stable she placed the arm on the workbench in front of Cameron trying very hard to not think about what she had just done.

"I guess I should have told you that it will come off rather effortlessly."

"It might have helped."

"Well, what I need you to do now is just hold the hand while I begin the work to replace the parts."

Jessica grabbed the hand and tried to not watch as Cameron opened up the arm with her other hand and began to separate all the tissues from the internal skeletal structure. After she completed the removal of the tissues she moved very quickly and efficiently and soon had the arm completely apart and Jessica found herself holding a hand with a large amount of skin and muscle tissue attached but otherwise empty. She had to look away and close her eyes because it was really starting to get to her.

Cameron noticed Jessica look away with a pale face and saw her holding her stomach area, no doubt wanting this whole thing to be over soon. Cameron quickly inserted the new 'bones' into the wrist joint and then began to install the internal parts. Once she had them all in the correct location she reattached the elbow joint and then attached the last two new parts they had been given by that wonderful company president. She didn't think about it very long and moved as quickly and efficiently as she could as she replaced all the internal components on the upper part of the arm. With that done she then reconnected the shoulder joint finishing the mechanical assembly of the arm.

"Jessica I am done with the mechanical assembly of the arm but I will need your help in reconnecting the muscle tissues to the new internal structure."

"What?!"

"It isn't that hard. Just stitch where I tell you and it will go rather quickly."

A very fierce internal battle raged inside of Jessica and for a few seconds she seriously considered running over and getting John but in the end she grabbed the dissoluble stitches from Cameron and did as she was told. It was horrible at first but after a few minutes it wasn't really as bad as she thought it was would be. It was mainly getting over the grossness factor and then it became just another task.

"Good job. Now we just need to stitch up the skin and protect the arm with some cream and bandages."

"Got it."

She found that part of the job to not be very hard anymore either and soon became surprised that she was no longer fearful at having to do this. As soon as she had everything all done she picked the arm and carefully lined up the shoulder joint and then slid it home. A few clicks and clatters later and Cameron's left arm was reattached to her body. Jessica then stitched up the area around the shoulder joint and the bandaged it just like the other areas.

"So, is everything in good shape now?"

"Yes and I'm very proud of you. You were able to overcome you fear and performed well."

"Thanks. So what do we do now?"

"I'm going to go keep an eye on John but it would be really nice if you could clean up for me."

"Yeah I can do that."

"Thanks Jessica and soon I will be better than I ever was before. I really appreciate your help."

"I should really be thanking you. You and John keep on pushing me and I keep on overcoming the obstacles before me and I am very glad that I have both of you as such wonderful friends."

"You're welcome."

Cameron got a nice smile from Jessica and then she turned and went back to the tent wearing the last set of bandages that were required to make her whole again. John had never given up on her and had brought her back from the very edge of defeat and while her mission was originally to protect him, it was he who had protected her. The love she felt for him was unlike anything she had ever known before and doubted she ever would feel the same about another person which is why she was determined to keep him safe from anything.

* * *

As Cameron lay sleeping that night with John she suddenly got a somewhat familiar surprise.

**EXECUTING PROGRAM s/40093/1335**

**ENHANCING ORGANIC AND CYBERNETIC NERVE CONNECTIONS  
REMOVING NERVE SENSOR LIMITS  
INSTALLING NEW SENSOR PROCESSING ALGORITHMS  
**

**EXECUTION OF PROGRAM - "Feeling" - COMPLETED  
MESSAGE TO UNIT FOLLOWS**

**Cameron I had one more surprise in store for you. This program was set to execute only if you had grown enough in your emotional capacity to be able to handle it because it will remove the last real non-human part of you. There is now only one real thing that truly separates you from being able to fully understand humans and that is pain. No Terminator can understand what it feels like or know how it affects people. This program allows you feel pain in all its horrible glory and while you may not think of this as a gift the insight you will receive is worth far more than how it will limit you. You will be able to suppress and work through the pain just a person can and I'm sure that my younger self will take very good care of you but please don't be mad over this because this is your last real limitation to being able to fully understand what it means to be human. -John**

She wasn't sure what to really think. While she was happy that she would be able to finally understand some of the things that she had no idea how to relate too she was scared that it would impair her abilities to protect John. The once thing she was absolutely sure of was that John would help her no matter what and with that knowledge in her mind she went back to sleep planning to talk to John about it tomorrow.

* * *

**Notes: **Sorry this took a while. It was origionally a bit over 16,000 words but I decided to split things up so that it would flow better with the remaining chapters. Anyways, I hope you all like it.


	16. Morning Musings

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Buffy Tara lover:** It won't be me that kills that Sarah. It could be Cromartie, Cameron, Derek, John or anyone else but not me. I just write what happens I don't actually do it. *Snicker* Anyways you can relax she will be fine for now at least, I will let you wonder if John looses it and kills or for doing something dumb with Cameron and such for the time being.

**Starman800:** Yes I am planning a sequel to this story and I didn't forget about everyone. You can read about what I was doing below, thanks for the PM though.

**Notes:** Sorry for not getting this chapter out sooner. I was rather busy and I have been chatting with a friend quite a bit recently (who owes me a few emails) but my friend takes priority over the story. Also, it doesn't help that my boss has loaded me up with a ton of work recently, oh well at least I won't be bored. I don't know why but this chapter didn't want to flow out of me very well so that was also a bit of problem. I guess I just have too much stuff on my mind lately as I dug up old ugly memory trying to explain a few things about my life to my friend.

**Update:** I believe I fixed the flow issue that was apparent when they began to travel. It seems to move better in my mind now.

* * *

**Tuesday midday - ****(Pargin Mountain range - Resistance Headquarters)**

John reached out and ran his finger down Cameron's spine and marveled at how she shivered and twitched under his touch. She had told him about the new program that had been buried inside of her by his future self and the note that was left along with it. While he was very worried about it at first it became very apparent that it didn't allow her to just feel pain. Instead, it had replaced and extended all of her sensory processing programming and from what he could tell she could feel and respond to things just like any other person. He began to reach out with his finger again when she turned to him.

"John if you do that any more I will go nuts. I'm still not used to these feelings so please stop."

He gave her a smile and nodded but Cameron could tell that while he may stop for the moment he fully intended to continue pestering her. She let out a large sigh and went back to cooking lunch for them as she tried to expand her cooking abilities. She hoped that the hamburgers she was currently cooking, made from the fresh meat from the run into town yesterday, were going to turn out better than the ones she made yesterday.

"Are these ones going to be edible?"

"Yes they will. It was only a small mistake."

"Yea, but I have to admit that seeing you cry and yell with us was almost worth the pain."

She gave John a sideways glace and tried to put as much annoyance into it as she could. He still had far too much mirth in his eyes though and she decided to go back to her cooking. After all three of them had begun to cry, poor Jessica was almost screaming from the pain, it was easy for her to conclude that Habanero peppers shouldn't be included in hamburgers. Skynet had provided her with a huge amount of information but taste wasn't included in the information and Tech-Com was only able to provide her with the basics, which stated that spicy food was often enjoyed. In her mind it seemed like a really simple mistake but as she cried and yelled with both of them did she begin to understand Commander Connor's gift.

After everyone had stopping crying and John was cooking something else for them did she realize that she had been able to understand the problem at the human level. The agony and discomfort was immensely raw and sharp in her mind but she understood exactly what they felt. It was a moment of clarity and enlightenment she was amazed and glad to feel. She silently thanked John for what he had given her even if it was going to be difficult to deal with at times.

She looked up at Jessica as she came back over and noticed the cautious look Jessica was giving her hamburgers.

"Don't worry. I didn't add anything other than some salt and pepper."

"Sorry, but last night just about killed me."

"I know. I don't plan on ever using that pepper in anything else I make."

While John had a soft spot for really spicy food at times, the amount of Habanero peppers Cameron had used had made it almost feel like eating a burning coal, so he could completely agree with Jessica. John grabbed some cheddar cheese slices and handed them to Cameron to finish off the burgers with and then set about getting the table all ready.

"John, when are you two going to take off for a little quality time together?"

"I'm not sure yet but I was thinking that we should perhaps just pack up here and head over to the underground base Cam told us about. If everything is all right with it then Cam and I could spend some time alone and I wouldn't have to worry about you."

"John, I'm fine. You two should just take off for a few days. I will be fine by myself for a few days at least."

Cameron walked over carrying all three plates with her second attempt at a hamburger, just regular cheeseburgers this time. She sat them down and then sat down next to John and looked over at Jessica.

"I like John's idea of heading over to the base first better. It would be really nice to know if we need to continue looking for another location sooner."

"How about just two days?"

"I would still feel better after we have looked at the base. What do you think John?"

John nodded to them both since he had stuffed his mouth with Cameron's latest creation. Once he finished up chewing and swallowing he turned toward Cameron and lightly ran his fingers across her arm and up to her neck. She shivered and the goosebumps that appeared made him want to keep on doing it all day long. She was just so cute when she did that and he loved being able to get such a reaction out of her with these light touches across her body.

"John, do you like your hamburger?"

"Yes. You did a great job on it Cam?"

"I'm glad. Now if you don't want to end up wearing it then please quite giving me the shivers every other minute."

John held his hands up and then used one to rub her back in a normal way earning him a grateful smile and a happy sigh.

"Jessica did I do a good job on your hamburger?"

"Yes. I'm very happy with how this turned out and you didn't over salt the meat."

"Thanks."

"So, um have you figured out why John's touch bugs you like that?"

Cameron stopped eating and gave Jessica her full attention. If Jessica knew what was going on she really wanted to know because it was immensely distracting to have a shiver run across her body while trying to do something.

"No. Do you know how to stop it?"

"Uh, no I don't but I believe it is because you are ticklish."

Cameron considered this possibility and based on the information she knew about being ticklish concluded that Jessica was most likely correct. However, she had noticed that other similar touches by Jessica or an object didn't produce results anywhere near the same level of intensity that John's did.

"You could be right but I don't understand why John's touch is so much more intense in producing this feeling."

John began to coke on his drink and Cameron looked over at him to see if he might need help. He knew exactly what was going on and by Jessica's slightly red face he knew that she had figured it out as well. This really surprised him but he considered it a good thing. He was always worried that as he and Cameron began to get very physical that she would never be able to feel the same levels of pleasure from their physical contact but now he knew that wouldn't be a problem. He learned over to Cameron and whispered in her ear.

"It's because you love me and I will explain it later and we can pick up where we left off last time."

He could see the confusion in her eyes but knew she would agree to let him explain it all when the time was right.

After watching John, Jessica knew what he must have told her and was happy for the both of them but wanted to ask a few other questions that had been on her mind.

"Cameron, have you been able to finish calibrating your new servos?"

Once they had removed all her bandages on Sunday she had spent a large amount of time Sunday afternoon and all of Monday morning trying to calibrate and adjust her systems to function to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, the new parts didn't have a good predictive model yet and each one was a little bit different. She had been able to map out the issues and correct for them but still needed a lot more time and data to get everything in perfect shape but she had collected enough information to have a high degree of confidence in her new systems that the destruction in various places around the landscape could attest too.

"Mostly. They work a bit differently and I need to do a much larger amount of testing to be certain I know all of their limits and abilities. However, I am confident that I can rely on them to perform well enough to insure my victory in battle against most other Terminator units."

"That's good. I guess we can't let Skynet ever gain access to this new material or the replacement servo designs."

"Yes. If Skynet gained access to the design material and procedures it would be a major problem. I destroyed the other copy that existed in my gmail account and even though it was heavily encrypted I didn't want to take chances. Now the only other copy that exists is on that DVD that I created and gave to you."

"I will carefully guard it. Well, I hope that the underground base will have a good work area for me and you to get a lab setup to begin work on John's huge project he has given us."

John leaned back and stretched after finishing up his meal, very pleased with Cameron's second attempt at a hamburger. Truthfully he would have much rather taken off to spend some quality time alone with her and see where things led but right now he really needed to head over to that underground base and see what it looked like. It would allow them to call Derek and Sarah and have them get anything else that was overlooked.

"Lets go ahead and start packing up. The sooner we get over there and see what it looks like the sooner Cameron and I can get a small vacation."

* * *

It took about two hours to get everything all packed and cleaned up before they set off towards Calf Creek Plateau by the Sawtooth mountain range.

"Cam can you give a quick overview of how we are going to get there?"

"Sure. Take I-160 until it joins up with highway 149. Once we get passed Lake City we will need to watch the area closely to spot the trail we need to take. It should take a few hours to get over there."

They passed the time with mild conversation and Cameron and Jessica talked mostly about the things Jessica did as a young girl. Cameron had seemed to take a large interest in understanding what normal girls did while growing up. John figured she wanted to learn about what she had missed in life and most likely found the information very intriguing. He was about to comment on a few things when Cameron abruptly stopped talking to Jessica and turned to him, no doubt spotting the trail they needed to take.

"John take that road on the right coming up."

"Sure thing Cam. How long do you think it will take from here?"

"About two or three hours depending on the condition of the trails."

"Hey, aren't either of you two worried over how remote this is going to be?", asked Jessica.

"Not really. It will make setting up traditional supply lines very difficult and that is where my project for you comes in. We need to enable the groups we setup in all the various different places to be able to create and build almost all the equipment they need. It will be very important for the resistance to be able to live off the land because we must be very nimble and flexible while presenting a incredibly difficult target for Skynet to attack. I have always thought that reasons like this are why Skynet created the Terminators that looked like humans in the first place, because it was impossible to effectively attack the resistance in any other way."

Jessica held onto the back of her seat as the Jeep went over a large dip somewhat regretting having asking to be handcuffed for the trip. Well, as long as they didn't roll over she would be fine but John stopped the car.

"John this can't be it right?"

"No. Hey Cam could you drive us up there? Since it is getting darker I think you would be able to do a better job than me."

"Of course."

After a quick change of seats Cameron began their climb up the various trails. While Jessica trusted the both of them completely she couldn't help herself from closing her eyes a few times and saying a quick prayer that the Jeep not tip over, slide off the edge, or whatever else the current worst case was. It amazed her how John didn't seem to have any anxiety over the whole process and instead just let Cameron work with a relaxed confidence in Cameron's abilities that amazed her.

After about two and half hours of moving slowly and carefully over the trails they made it up a side trail and came upon a very flat section of land. Jessica figured that this had to be the location but was surprised to not see any indication of an underground base, missile or otherwise, located in the area.

"Is this the area?", asked Jessica.

"Yes. We will need to use the metal detector to start locating it. The report I saw didn't give precise enough information to know where the entrance is located."

"Oh, I didn't realize that it was buried. I thought there would an entrance on the surface."

"Their usually is. However, the resistance believed that this base had just been top filled to cover up its presence. The main entrance is actually below the natural soil level so once it was covered it would stay covered."

"How deep do you think we will have to dig, Cam?", asked John.

"I think it will be about 50 feet below ground."

John considered this and concluded that it would be a good idea to extend the entrance to bring it up above the surface. However, he didn't want it to stick out so once they found the entrance it would be very important to get it to blend in very well with the surroundings.

"Alright. Just find us a good place to camp and we can get setup for the night and look for it tomorrow since it is a little after 8:00pm now."

"Ok John. There is lake just on the other side of the Plateau I could get us down to."

"Wonderful."

Cameron carefully brought the Jeep down around to the lake by the southeastern side of the Plateau since the terrain wasn't nearly as steep in that direction. It took her about an hour to find a good way to get down to the lake as she carefully analyzed the terrain. Once she was happy with the location she turned off the Jeep and got out to help John setup the tent for the night. She noticed that Jessica appeared to thanking her god that the ride was over. She made a mental note to ask Jessica why she appeared to be worried and upset over the ride since nothing had gone wrong during the trip.

It didn't take John long to get the tent all setup and to get the stuff they would need for night put into it. The Jeep was still packed full of stuff but they had left quite a bit behind since it was no longer needed and John didn't want to have to drive all the way back there to get it. He was a bit worried about what it was going to take to get the trucks that Derek and Sarah would be driving up the hills but if worse came to worse then they could just make several trips with the Jeep. He made a mental note to have Derek pick up a trailer so that the Jeep could pull more stuff in a single trip just in case it came down to that.

"Cam, I'm going to get Jessica and then we can get some rest."

"Alright."

John walked over to Jessica's side of the jeep and opened the door at looked at her.

"You seem rather happy we aren't moving anymore."

"Definitely. The trip over all that rough terrain scared me half to death."

He laughed at her. She didn't have the same level of confidence in Cameron as he did but knew that it would come as she got to see Cameron accomplish many impossible things. For him, having her drive a car in very poor visibility over rough trails seemed like child's play and a far too simple task to worry about her making a mistake.

"Yea, well just keep it all together. Once the bombs fall it's going to get much worse."

She frowned at him, very much annoyed that he had chosen to bring that up.

"John you didn't have to bring that up and remind me about it. I was enjoying the happiness you and Cameron were sharing with each other since she has been put all back together and now you ruined my good mood."

"Sorry. So, why do you want to do tonight?"

"Just let my hands go and I will get ready and then you can tie me back up. I'm kind of wondering if I'm ever going to get over this crutch I have developed."

"Maybe, maybe not, but Cameron doesn't think it is a problem so neither do I."

Once John had unlocked her she stretched and enjoyed the feeling of being released. It was really weird to enjoy both sides of the coin like that but since she was a woman she figured she was allowed to be very inconsistent in her thoughts and feelings.

"Thanks for the support from both of you. I really appreciate it."

She stopped working on her ankles and instead motioned for John to come over. Once he was really close she reached up and brought his head close to her's and whispered in his ear.

"If you want I could leave you both alone for an hour or so."

She could tell by the shine in his eyes that he was really considering her offer. She really wanted to let them have some nice time all their own, instead of her being in the way so much or walking up on them when they are getting a bit intimate. John and Cameron were such wonderful people that it bugged her that they always tried to watch over her and it often made her feel like she was standing in their way. Of course, they would never complain about it but it bugged her all the same.

"I would like that but lets just see what tomorrow brings instead."

"John, you sure are weird at times. Most guys would just jump at such a chance."

"Yea, well I'm not most guys since they don't have to worry about saving human existence."

He said the last part with a large smile so she didn't worry too much over it but he was right. How would she have liked to grow up knowing that once the world was destroyed with man's most destructive weapons that it would be all up to her to ensure humanity would be able to not only fight back but win a war against a super intelligent computer planning to do anything possible to ensure its victory. She quickly decided it was best to not dwell on those thoughts and gathered up her stuff for the night and stalked over to the tent acknowledging Cameron as she entered.

"Anything wrong?"

"Not really. John can be a real killjoy sometimes."

Cameron stopped what she was doing and examined Jessica's body language and concluded that John must have reminded her of the up coming disaster. She had noticed that Jessica's mood had been steadily improving but wouldn't fault John for damping her spirits because she believed it to be very important to keep what was coming in the forefront of their thinking and planning. While it was good for Jessica to feel safe and realize that no matter what happened it would be survivable she didn't want her to forget what their mission was.

"What John must do is very serious and I need you to remember that no matter how bad it gets we will get through it."

"I know but it is hard to stay positive when thinking about the world lying in ruins and billions of people killed."

Cameron scooted over to Jessica and gave her a hug and enjoyed the warm feeling the embrace of another person gave her. Those new algorithms were really amazing and every time she did something like this it caused her to notice how much clearer and real everything seemed to her. It was like all the time before this new understanding was a dream she was slowly waking up from.

"Thanks Cameron. I promise I won't give up."

"That is all I want. Now hurry up and get ready before John freezes out there."

* * *

**Wednesday twilight - ****(Calf Creek Plateau**** - Resistance Perspective Main Base)**

Jessica woke up and opened her eyes and realized it was still rather dark. She began to shiver again, the reason she woke up in the first, since she was very cold and needed to somehow warm up. She looked over and saw John and Cameron huddled up next to each other with Cameron closer to her. She thought about waking one of them up to untie her so that she could warm up but decided to not bother. Instead, she carefully moved off of her mat and then used her legs to move it as close to Cameron as possible. Once she had it where she wanted it she grabbed part of her blanket in her hands and partly with her teeth draping it over her shoulder in the process. Once she had it where she wanted it she stood up as much as she could to fan it out. She then carefully hopped over and flopped down by Cameron and proceeded to huddle as close as her as she could get.

Cameron's systems had come online when she begin to hear the metal clinking sound from Jessica's handcuffs while she moved around. Cameron was about to ask her if she needed some help when Jessica hopped over and tried to get as close to her as possible.

"Jessica are you alright?"

"Darn. I was hoping to not wake you. Sorry about that but I'm just really cold and figured I could warm myself up by getting close to you."

"No it's fine. Are you comfortable enough? Do you want me to untie or anything?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine the way I am. I just need to warm up. What time is it and what is the temperature?"

"It is currently 5:32am and the temperature is 2 degrees."

"Well that explains why I am so cold. Thanks."

"Sure."

Cameron rolled over slightly and helped pull her in a little closer and then fixed up her blanket. At this elevation and with it being a bit more north the temperature would be a lot colder than where they had been staying. She felt John roll over and get closer to her and figured that he must have been cold as well and then realized that she was also cold. She was uncomfortable in various places across her body and enjoyed the warmth she received from Jessica and John. Perhaps she would now be able to understand the joy people got from a fire as well? It was a very interesting new development for her to consider.

She thought about everything that had happened to her and John over the last few months as she waited for the sun to begin its rise over the mountain range. While she had been sent back with a simple mission and a simple purpose everything had been completely rewritten for her. She no longer had a mission or a purpose, instead she now had a love and undying desire to guide her. Terminators never thought or contemplated the ideas of whether they were alive or not but she did. It had taken her a while but she had decided that she had to be alive. She may not have been born and was very different structurally than a human but she had to be alive and even have a soul. When she first asked John about it on Monday night she could tell that he was confused and she was at first incredibly worried that he didn't consider her to be alive or worthy of having a soul but instead he asked her why would she ever doubt that she didn't possess those things.

She had still been unsure but he had come over and wrapped in her in a tight hug and told her that to him she was as alive as any other person. It had filled her with an incredible joy and she felt the need to express it to John. She then pulled away from him slightly and gabbed his head and pulled him into a very fierce kiss. While at first John seemed confused he soon responded in kind to her advances and began to run his hands over her body and the new feelings and sensations that she was allowed to experience quickly began to feel almost as if an electric current was running across the surface of her skin John was touching and caressing. The burning sensation she began to feel made her want to feel everything John could give her and she was certain she would have enjoyed all of it.

However, fate decided that it wasn't the right time for this yet and moved to stop them. Jessica had come back from washing up and inhaled sharply and had started to turn back the way she had come to give them some privacy but John had noticed her and stopped what he was doing. A quick flash of anger and hatred had washed across her and it was fully directed at Jessica. It took her a little while to analyze and understand what she was feeling. These emotions were really strange and confusing to her but she was able to control them and later was able to fully understand what they meant and why they had run through her with such a sharp edge to them.

She had forgiven Jessica for her bad timing and noticed that Jessica had tried to get John to pickup where he left off with her but he always made up some excuse to put it off. She concluded that he was waiting until they would be able to have better privacy no doubt wanting to prevent another such incident from happening again. While she could understand his thoughts she was having a very hard time resisting the urge to toss him down on the ground and forcing him to give himself to her. Every time he was with her or very close to her she felt the passion and desire rise to the surface of her mind demanding to be answered and it took a large amount of effort on her part to hold it at bay. If he didn't act soon she was going to go nuts and John's constant touching and caressing of her body wasn't helping her at all and she knew she would have to explain most of this to him sooner or later since the discussion over the hamburgers had indicated that John understood the effect his touch had on her. So why he continued to pester her like he did was very confusing to her and if he kept at it much longer she wasn't going to hold herself responsible for anything that might happen to him.

John's rise from sleep and subsequent stretching brought her musing to and end.

"Good morning John."

"I think I will go with cold morning instead."

* * *

**Notes:** Since I got a few PMs about why I haven't updated recently I figured I would find a good break in the chapter I was working on and just split things apart. I am going to try and update about every other day this week to catch up a bit and to my missing friend if you are reading this send me an email so I don't send the FBI looking for you. Have fun guys.

**2nd Update:** Yea, I think I got all the typos and oddities cleanup out of this one now.


	17. Buried Treasure

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** My story got included in a C2 community called "Solid Gold" and they describe the list as, "The best of the best of the best, Sir!" so pretty cool to know that my writings are well enjoyed.

Now I know that I had mentioned that I was going to update a little sooner but I ended up taking on a new project. I'm working with another author on a story for TSCC but I'm not going to tell with you with you. I'm going to leave it as a mystery to see if any of you can spot which story has a touch of me in it ;-). Also, I changed my pen name because it became very apparent that people were a little confused by it and what kind of person I might be. My new name has a bit of a joke behind it but I believe there is only one person on here that will be able to understand the joke behind it. Everyone else, you can take all the guesses at it you want.

Also, one of the other big holdups is that I did a ton of research into the underground bases built during the cold war and some of the strange and odd stuff developed during the cold war. So that I could write from a good perspective but it took a while (the national archives are a mess). The other thing was that I decided to add a large number of mysterious to this base they are going to be using to allow for some side stories to develop. I think that about covers it all. Anyways, for those of you that sent me PM's asking what was taking so long you now know if I didn't reply to you (I thought I answered everyone).

**Update**: I went through this for like the six time now and I think I have finally gotten all of the oops fixed.

* * *

**Wednesday morning - ****(Calf Creek Plateau**** - Resistance Perspective Main Base)**

John worked on getting the fire burning as quickly possible since it was starting to get really cold, well for him at least since he had never grown up in the colder areas of the world. He blew on the kindling carefully and was rewarded with a nice healthy flame which he carefully cultivated into a small fire. Once he was happy with the results he began to add the bigger pieces of wood and it didn't take long before a nice fire was crackling away.

"John is that fire all ready", asked Jessica.

"Yep."

"Wonderful."

Jessica quickly made her way over to the fire and sighed with comfort as it began to warm her and drive away the cold from her body. As she turned her back to the fire Cameron came over and stood next to her. She watched Cameron's face for a little bit and soon saw a flicker of shock and then understanding run across her face.

"I guess you understand it now, huh?"

"Yes. It is very soothing."

"What do you think of having these additional feelings?"

"I'm not entirely sure but I trust John's judgment. If there was anything that I could say I truly believed in, it would be John."

Jessica still had a large amount of trouble understanding Cameron's unwavering belief in John. Sure she thought he was a great guy and he did take care of her when things had gotten really bad but he was still human and all humans make mistakes. She could tell that Cameron knew that John could make a mistake but in the grand scheme of things she treated them as nothing more than simple things that couldn't affect anything adversely. Jessica really hoped that John was everything Cameron made him out to be.

"I hope you're right."

"I am and you will believe in him soon enough."

John came back to the fire after rounding up the necessary items to make a simple breakfast and noticed the happy expression on Cameron's face. He could tell that she now understood the simple pleasure from a fire and wondered if there was ever going to be a limit to what she could understand. He sure hoped not since it was so fun watching her grow and learn with every passing day.

"I thought a nice hot meal would be great so we are having oatmeal. That fine with you two?"

"It's fine with me and I actually like it a lot especially if you have some brown sugar to go with it."

John tossed Jessica a small bag and she looked inside and saw some brown sugar and maple syrup. She gave him a nice warm smile and he chuckled at her.

"Oatmeal is not an item I have consumed in the past."

"I'm sure you will like it Cam. It can be a little bit boring if you eat it all the time but otherwise it makes for a nice easy breakfast and the best part is it is a hot meal."

"Does that matter much?"

"Only when it is cold like now. Think of it like a fire that warms you from the inside out."

Again John found the expression on Cameron's face to be really interesting. The look of excitement that appeared on her face as understanding dawned on her was pure joy to watch. He had never seen anyone so excited to eat oatmeal before but since everything was so fresh and new to her anything that offered her new sensations was something for her to get excited about. However, he knew he was going to have to really watch over her the first time she experiences the true agony of pain as he would never let her suffer through that alone.

John quickly had the oatmeal all prepared and watched in fascination as Cameron tried a spoonful of it and the smile that slowly spread across her face made his heart skip a bit and he could feel his chest tighten up. She was so beautiful that it amazed him that she was his and his alone. At times he found himself wondering if he really deserved such an amazing gift because his existence was sort of like a curse to all of humanity.

Jessica noticed that John was lost in his thoughts and was looking at Cameron with an expression of pure love. He had done that a lot recently once they gotten her all put back together and she could understand it since Cameron was a girl any guy would be incredibly lucky to have but she had figured that John might have gotten over that by now. Oh well, she just nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.

"Huh. Uh what is it Jessica?"

"I was just wondering if you are going to eat."

"Yea. Sorry about spacing out there."

"John are you feeling alright?", asked Cameron.

"Yes. I'm actually feeling really good. I was just thinking about what we have to do and all hard work that will be needed."

"I will be doing the work John. I'm still concerned about your health so you aren't allowed to help."

"I'm not an invalid Cam. I feel fine really."

Cameron set down her bowl and glared at John. He tried to stare her down for a little bit but he soon gave up and adverted his eyes and she rolled her eyes at his silliness. He should have known by now that it was impossible to stare her down and the sooner he remembered that the better off he would be. While she would always listen to John, anything that concerned his health and safety was her domain and she would only ever do what she felt and believed to be right. She loved him far too much to allow anything to harm him and she would sooner have to go through getting blown to pieces again a million times over than watch John suffer.

"Alright Cam. I will take it easy."

"Good. Now eat your breakfast since you could use the nourishment."

"Yes mom."

He said that last part with a smirk and Cameron felt a smile form on her face. It was so silly that she soon found herself laughing a bit and then realized what had just happened. It was an amazing feeling and as she looked at John and Jessica she felt that a new level of awareness had developed inside of her. These moments were rare but when they happened she always felt as if she had further climbed her way out of a dream. What would she feel like once she no longer had to climb anymore she wondered.

"Cameron, I didn't know you could laugh like that."

"I didn't either, but it did feel good."

Breakfast was finished in quite comfort as they sat gather together about the fire making idle conversation.

* * *

As Cameron slowly guided the Jeep up out of the lake bed she checked the rear view mirror and saw that Jessica sat huddled in the back seat with her face buried in a pillow refusing to watch, complaining that it was far worse when she could see what was going on. A quick glace at John's cool demeanor and Cameron wondered again what Jessica was so afraid of. Well, it didn't bother her much as she turned the wheel and got both tires on the passenger side of Jeep back on the ground. Cameron heard another muffled cry from Jessica and she wondered if perhaps she just got carsick when the road was a little uneven.

After about a half hour Cameron stopped the car in a flatter section of Calf Creek Plateau and got out of the car. She heard John get out as well and head to the back of the Jeep while she opened Jessica's door and looked at her.

"Are you alright?"

"Not really. I trust you, I really do, but you scared me half to death with your driving."

"Why?"

"WHY? All four tires should always be in contact with the ground. I thought we were going to rollover."

"Everything was done correctly and some obstacles and inclines required the use of a modified form of driving."

"Ugh. I'm not going to argue with you but don't ever expect me to like riding along with you when you use your 'modified form' of driving."

Cameron frowned a bit and decided she would talk to John about it later, but for right now she just gave Jessica a small hug and told her she would be careful and not let them get hurt. Jessica seemed to lighten up a bit and got out of the car with a focused look in her eyes.

"So John, what's the plan?"

"No idea. Hey Cam what's the plan?"

"We are going to use the metal detector and try to locate the entrance to the base. Since there isn't much know about the base I think the quickest method will be for me to use the detector while another person drives up and down the area."

"How are you going to use the detector while someone is driving the Jeep?", asked Jessica.

"I am going to remove the door."

"Oh."

* * *

John and Cameron were currently traveling up and down the plateau as Jessica had elected to sit and read while they mapped out the area, sitting on the door Cameron had removed from the Jeep. John had handed her the toolkit and she had stared at him for a minute before realizing that he wanted her to remove it gracefully instead of ripping it off.

"Hey Cam, how big of an area are we going to need to cover?"

"I believe about 1.5 square miles will work. Just head south another 1.1 miles."

"Wow. How big is the complex?"

"I don't know but I think it will be about 45 thousand square feet."

"Holy cow, that's huge."

They had gone back and forth several times now slowly making their way to the east as John drove at about 15 MPH and Cameron focused on her task with such an intensity that John wondered if she was hoping to be able to see through the ground herself and not bother with the information from the metal detector. He was about to ask her another question when she spoke out suddenly.

"Stop the car John."

"Sure."

He stopped the car and Cameron hopped out and began scanning the area with the medal detector. John just watched as she worked, quickly and methodically, and she soon returned the car after covering an area about the size of a football field.

"Anything?"

"Yes. I think that about 20 feet below the ground is a silo door about 15.3 feet from the Jeep in a 2:23 o'clock position from the drivers side."

"Should we start digging?"

"No. The silo doors would weigh in at about 700 tons or more depending on what they are protecting and even I cannot move something so heavy and large."

"Wow so there are things Superwoman can't do. So, what now?"

Cameron turned and looked directly at John with an arched eyebrow and waited for a reaction out of him but he seemed to not notice or care which bugged her. While she could find the joke a little funny she decided that he took a little too much liberty there and planned to get him back later after they had finished their work for the day.

"Based on the readings from the metal detector on the way here and layout of the land I believe this is a side silo and based on the size I'm thinking this might be a Titan I missile silo complex. Lets head east slowly."

"No problem."

John went back to the Jeep and then noticed that Cameron wasn't moving towards the car and instead was looking at him with a silly expression.

"What's up Cam?"

"I think we can just walk. Now that we have a starting point I think that would be easier."

"Oh sure."

John turned off the Jeep and then made his way back over to Cameron. He grabbed her hand and she smiled at him but he didn't hold her attention long as she was focused on what they came here to do. So, they walked together holding hands as she swept the metal detector back and forth, pausing every now and then to make corrections to the way they were heading. After about an hour and a half of this she stopped and looked up at John.

"I think this is the spot."

"Alright. How far down is it?"

"About twenty feet, give or take 3.5 feet."

John looked back toward the Jeep and realized that it was about six hundred feet away. It sure surprised him because it didn't feel like they had really walked that far and he found it fun watching Cameron work away at the problem. Plus being alone with her always had an effect on his ability to tell time and distance, not a bad one mind you, but he often found himself losing track of those things.

"Shall we head back to the jeep and grab Jessica?"

"Yes."

After a quick ride about a mile back they picked up Jessica and Cameron reattached the door to the Jeep.

"Aren't you glad I gave you that toolkit to use?"

"Yes."

"What do you think it is going to look like down there?", asked Jessica.

"No idea. What do you know Cam?"

They all piled into the Jeep and as Cameron drove them back to where she believed the entrance to be she told them what she expected.

"If it is indeed a Titan I missile silo then it is a large complex of about 45 thousand square feet with three missile silos. Each silo would be about 140 feet deep and they are covered by a large silo door that weights in excess of 700 tons. The main interior areas will be formed by two large dome complexes called the power house and control center. The domes are about 6.2 thousand square feet and at the base the ceiling height would be about 46 feet high and the diameter of the floor would be about 120 feet."

"Wow. That's huge", replied Jessica.

"Yes it is."

Cameron stopped the car and got out.

"We are here. Now, I will begin the process of excavating the entrance. I wouldn't expect the place to look all that different that a set of utility tunnels in various cities."

Jessica helped Cameron unload the shovels and pickaxes and looked around and couldn't see any signs suggesting that a huge underground complex could exist in the area. She found herself wondering why it was all buried and why wasn't there at least something on the surface to suggest that it existed.

John moved over to grab one of the shovels but Cameron snatched it out of his and and pointed at a spot for him to sit down at. He signed and then moved to where she indicated and knew that she wasn't going to let him help at all. Jessica lined up all seven shovels and four pickaxes hoping that they would be enough but she figured that Cameron could handle it so she walked over to John and sat down next to him.

"Do you have any idea why there isn't a single indication that the place might exist?", Jessica asked John.

"That's a good question. I was thinking about that myself because I remember reading about the missile bases before and they all had at least something on the surface that you could spot. Plus, they usually had to have some air exchangers to run the generators and stuff. To tell you the truth I'm really excited to see what the heck is down there. The US had all sorts of strange plans and projects during the cold war and this might be one of those ultra top secret types of projects everyone has forgotten about."

"Could it be dangerous?"

"Absolutely. That is why we are going to be really careful and let Cameron lead us so don't leave her side no matter what."

Jessica felt her throat become dry and decided to hold one of their hands the entire time she was down there. She really hated how easily she got scared at times and she often wondered how in the hell she was going to deal with everything that was coming. John must have noticed her depressing thoughts as he thumped her head lightly and spoke to her.

"Don't worry. We will take care of you."

"I know."

"Good."

They both watched in amazement as Cameron made short work of the ground and area where they hoped the entrance was. She worked harder and faster than any bulldozer tossing huge amounts of dirt and rocks in every direction, except where John and Jessica were sitting, and Jessica found it both very fascinating and amazing while also being incredibly scary. It was really hard to think about the armies of Terminators that would be roaming the earth intent on killing any human they found and however were they going to defeat such a deadly foe. She could understand how Cameron could handle it but what about her and John. She felt like crying but stopped her depressing thoughts as she begin to remember Cameron's faith in John. Apparently it was beginning to infect her a bit and she managed to shake her depressing thoughts from her mind just enough to not break down in a state of panic and she was just about to ask John another question when a loud bang was heard from the hole Cameron had made.

"Cam, you alright?"

"Yes John. I believe I have found what we are after. Give me about 11.3 minutes and I will be finished up and then we can enter."

"Sure thing."

Cameron grabbed a new shovel, tossing the forth ruined up onto the pile of the ones like it, and got back to work. The ground around the area wasn't too bad but the large amount of rocks would have made digging out an area like this a really hard thing or a human to do but it wasn't it any real trouble for her. As she uncovered the entrance she noticed that it appeared that it was designed to rise up. Perhaps, the platform could raise itself from the earth? She didn't know right now but was very curious as no missile base she was aware of had such an entrance.

Cameron climbed out of the hole she had dug and dusted herself off and looked over at John and Jessica. Jessica had laid down and was trying to relax but she could tell that Jessica was very nervous. John on the other hand seemed to only be worried about her and while it touched her heart she didn't want him to ever sacrifice himself to save her but she knew he would. It was such a difficult problem that the only real way to keep John safe was to make sure she herself never ended up in a position where should could be killed. She resolved to talk to John about this issue later and again focused on their current task.

"Everything is ready. Lets get all the equipment loaded up into our backpacks and head down."

"Great. So, Cam aren't you glad I got you some gloves to use?"

"Yes John. I'm still finding these new sensations a bit odd and the pain is very difficult to deal with currently."

"I know and trust me a splinter is an experience you don't want to deal with."

"I will remember that."

* * *

It only took them a little bit to put on their backpacks and ready their flashlights and climbing gear, which John had insisted they bring along. While John seemed to be incredibly excited like some school kid about to leave on a field trip to the amusement park, Jessica was freaking out. The door in front of them wasn't just some metal reinforced door to her. Instead it represented the final step in her journey into the darkness that was coming and she was terrified that all her happy memories would soon stop and she would forever be trapped in a hellish nightmare.

Cameron's systems told her that Jessica was having an anxiety attack so she reached out and grabbed Jessica's hand. Jessica jumped a bit but squeezed her hand back and held on tightly. John was too excited to notice Jessica's distress so it was up to her to help Jessica through her troubles for the moment. She decided to add this incident to the list of things she wanted to chat with John about later. Cameron got Jessica's attention and spoke to her.

"Don't worry and just hang onto my hand. Can you do that?"

"I may not be able to stop worrying but I will definitely hang on to your hand."

"Cam, lets get this door opened already."

John said as he turned around and looked at the two ladies. He was little confused by the slight scowl on Cameron's face and the nervous expression on Jessica's but figured it was something to deal with later. Right now he wanted to see what in the world was behind the door.

"Yes John. Just move out of the way and I will open it."

Cameron let go of Jessica's hand and gave her a look that said she would come back in a second and then moved over to the door. It was a reinforced steel door and it appeared to be locked from the inside. Well, this time she wasn't going to bother trying to use some tools and they could replace it later so she powered up her servos and hit the door with what she believed was 25 percent of her strength and expected the door to just split open. Instead the door proved to be weaker than she expected and it exploded off it's hinges and flew across the entrance to impact the concrete wall on the far side with an intensely loud bang. The door was now a completely useless piece of twisted metal and the shock on Jessica's face was very evident while John had a look of annoyance on his.

"HOLY SHIT! Cam, you didn't need to take your anger out on it like that. All we needed was it opened."

"I know John but the door was actually weaker than I expected. We will have to repair it later."

"Yea and the frame. Look you even ripped part of the frame out of the wall."

Cameron took a good look at the frame now that John mentioned it. She got up close and inspected the frame and noticed that it was made of high grade steel and the wall was built with steel fiber reinforced concrete which should have provided it with exceptional strength. She was going to have to really work on understanding just how these new servos responded because it was evident that what she believed to be the necessary power output was incorrect. Perhaps the servos also had a component that responded to not just electrical loading but also to speed. If that was the case then she was going to have to carefully reexamine all the measurements she had made so far and she wasn't planning on how much her knuckles hurt after doing that. She had a ton of adjusting to still do before she was 100 percent again.

"Apparently, I sill have some work to do. I will be very careful until I have all of this sorted out."

"Great. You know I'm really glad you love me Cam because I wouldn't ever want to be your enemy with they way you are now."

"No kidding, I think you could even beat up Superman."

"That's enough out of the both of you. Lets get started looking around alright."

"Yea sure", replied John.

Cameron went back over and grabbed Jessica's hand and John turned on his flashlight as they walked across the threshold into the abandoned base.

* * *

**Notes:** This should have been a really long chapter but I'm waiting on a few people to finish helping with the details on part of it. So I decided to break it off here and once I get the stuff back from them tomorrow I will post the second part. Sorry about that but I wanted to get something out in case they got behind helping me check all the details and seeing if they made sense. Doing very detailed sections of new stuff is really, really hard and long.


	18. Awakenings

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Terminator characters.**

**Notes:** I have another chapter for you guys in a somewhat quick fashion. I know not as quick as I had been when I first started but I just have a ton of stuff going on. Now go forth and let the reviews multiply and if I don't get like 15 reviews on this chapter I may wait an extra week before posting the next one since I keep seeing the number of alerts grow but only ever get like 6 or 7 reviews from people (the same wonderful ones every time so I may just PM the next chapter to them ahead of everyone else) so if you haven't left a review please do and let this silly lady know what you think.

One other thing, I really like getting ideas sent to me and to those of you that have made suggestions I really appreciate it. Now to those of you who have found it necessary to complain about my writing style don't bother bugging me. After chatting with several others who read the story I have decided those of you who think the grammar is too formal or my style is too odd you can just put those complaints in /devl/null because I'm going to ignore them (plus I only gotten like 12 of those). I think my style is a unique expression of myself and as such it has been refined as I write these stories and I think it should stay the way it is because I'm comfortable with it. The rest of you who have been really supportive and helpful these complaints don't apply to you. Thanks.

One other note. I just want to thank my friends who have been very helpful in giving me some advice on the details for the base as I don't want the writing to become a technical manual. Also, I am really happy for the advice of Ryan who pointed out to me that splitting things up would be a good idea to prevent the detail overload from appearing.

**Update: **I fixed some typos that made it past me. Oh well I think everything is in good shape now.

* * *

The air inside was stale and the place had an odd smell but John didn't care. He shot out in front of the group and led the way quickly making his way over to the nearby staircase and began the descent using his flashlight to light the way. The sounds of their footfalls seemed to echo everywhere and to John it seemed like the place was welcoming him. Almost as if the place was expecting him and had been waiting for him to come here thus beginning him on the long trail in his quest to save mankind.

"John! Slow down", yelled Cameron.

Cameron was getting rather angry with him because he kept on moving as if he didn't even hear her. She picked up the pace and was almost dragging Jessica down the stairs and she felt torn between protecting her love and keeping her promise to her friend. John and her were really going to have a long talk about this later.

Once John got to the bottom of the stairs a large heavy door greeted him, a blast door. Based on what Cameron had told him the door weighted in at 3 tons but he moved over to it and began to release the locks and was happily surprised that they all released without problem. Cameron and Jessica soon caught up to him as he released the last lock.

"John don't run ahead like that! I need to be with you in case anything goes wrong, dammit!"

John turned to look at Cameron and noticed the look of intense anger that was painted on her face and realized that she was right. No matter how excited he was it would be best if he didn't cause her any undue stress.

"Sorry Cam. I just feel a connection with this place like it has been waiting for me to come here. I'm not sure how to explain it but it's like I belong here but I will stay right next to you from now on."

Cameron's face softened a bit but she was still angry. At least he understood that he was being an idiot but it didn't help to eliminate all of her anger.

"Thank you. I don't think I could ever forgive myself if something happened to you and Jessica's a bit nervous so I'm trying to help her as well. So please promise me that you will stay close."

"I promise. Now what's bugging you Jessica?"

"It's complicated but Cameron said she would take care of me so don't you cause her any grief."

"Alright! I totally get the point. So, can we get back to the current task and enter the base."

"Yes."

Cameron walked over and slowly slid open the blast door and was happy to not receive any resistance and it opened smoothly since the hinges were in good shape. She figured that two regular people wouldn't have any trouble with the door which would be very useful in the future if she was too busy to help with it.

Jessica watched the door slide open and what greeted her beyond the door was an inky darkness. She couldn't see a thing but she felt as if something had awoken inside the place by their presence but unlike John what she felt did not make her happy. She felt as if they were crossing the threshold of a tomb that should not be disturbed. She felt a shiver run down her back and as soon as Cameron was finished with the door she grabbed Cameron's hand and held on to it with an intense grip which was strong enough to earn her a look of concern from Cameron. She nodded to Cameron's unspoken question and hoped that John was right and that the place meant them no harm.

"Hey Cam can you make out what that plaque says over there?", asked John as he pointed to a spot on the far wall.

"Yes. It reads 'Home of the Second Genesis, Our Only Hope'. Rather odd."

"Yea that is. How far down do you think we are?"

"We are 160.3 feet below the surface."

"Wow. Well lets get going then."

John waited for Cameron to indicate she was ready and together they set off. The blast doors had opened to a round area about 40 feet across followed by a little tunnel area John discovered as he walked across the area. On the right hand side of the tunnel area there was a large door and to the left end of the tunnel was an opening that appeared to head in two other directions with a sign that read 'Tunnel Junction 10'.

"Lets check out this door first."

"Wow, look at that", spoke Jessica.

John stopped and came back to where Jessica and Cameron were still standing in the large area just behind the blast door and looked at where Jessica was pointing, straight up, and saw that a very large tunnel ran up to what he thought had to be the surface. Only problem was they hadn't seen any doors when they were up there.

"Cam what is that?"

"The portal, as it is called. Up there is a set of large concrete reinforced doors that open up to the outside world. Based on the hydraulic lines and actuators I believe that the platform can raise itself to the surface, a distance of about 20 feet. Also, up there is a large set of cable winches that I believe can be used to raise and lower equipment and materials weighting up to 20 tons."

"Nifty. Is there an elevator for people by chance?"

"Yes, but it is up there. The controls for it are near the blast door."

John spotted what Cameron was pointing at. They had just barely started exploring and this place was already pretty cool. He could barely wait to see what else was in here but he held in the urge to run off and instead grabbed Cameron's only free hand and pulled them off to the door he wanted to check out. Once they got some power running through the place it would be a ton easier to see everything.

John walked over to the door and turned the locks and opened it up. As he opened the door the smell of diesel greeted them and Jessica used her free hand to plug her nose.

"Wow. That is really strong. What do you think Cam?"

"The air is fine but it appears that some diesel fuel has sat in there for a long time. It won't present us with any health risks."

"Alright."

As they made their way into the revealed room John saw another door to the right which appeared to open to a small office. He ignored the office and used his flashlight to light up what was ahead of them. He was surprised to see four very large diesel generators, well at least that is what he thought they were.

"Cam do you know what those are?"

"Yes. They appear to be a set of four 2 megawatt diesel generators and because of their presence this place is the powerhouse for the base and if we look around we might find a drum that has some diesel in it that is open. If we seal it up the smell should go away once the air gets a chance to move."

They looked around for a little bit and found three drums that had been left opened and sealed them up. John then turned back to look at the large control panels and various pumps and machines that were present. It was a really impressive sight to look at.

"Hey Cam what is all this other stuff?"

"They make up the air conditioning, water purification, water softening, compressed air, and fire protection systems. Also, I have identified several high pressure and high volume hydraulic lines. If this powerhouse is like others then the hydraulic pumps will be on the second floor above us. The only odd thing is that it appears that the diesel generators are a dual fuel system and from what I can make out I believe the other fuel they can run on is kerosene."

"Where's the exhaust go?", asked Jessica.

"Usually in such places like this there will be a shaft that runs up to the surface to provide for the exhaust and air intake for these generators."

"What about radiation and such from nuclear war?"

"A simple air filtration system would take care of the problem since the levels carried by just the air wouldn't be a problem. The filters would have to be carefully replaced and cleaned but otherwise things would be fine."

As Cameron and Jessica talked John had continued to look around a bit and as he looked over the various control panels he soon found one that caught his eye.

"Hey Cam this control panel has an interesting label. It reads, 'Exhaust and Intake Shaft Elevator Control'"

Cameron, with Jessica in tow, came over to where John was standing. She looked over the control panel and noticed the various buttons and their labels and then spotted a manual lever to switch control of a hydraulic line. She followed the path of the hydraulic line and found that it ran to a manual control board which was connected to a manual hydraulic pump. Apparently some of the things in here could be manually operated but she doubted that any of the major structures could be moved like that since they would be far to heavy and require way too much manual pumping to even think about raising them manually. However, a small thing like a shaft to take in air and expel exhaust from the generators would be doable.

"This is rather interesting John. It appears that this facility has a retractable shaft for taking care of the air requirements of the generators and it can be raised and lowered with the manual hydraulic pump that is over there."

"Do you think we could raise it and then try to start the generators to get some power to the place?"

"Perhaps but we need to check the condition of the diesel fuel, if there is any left in the storage tanks. Also, we need to make sure that the injectors for the diesel engines are in good shape as well as the seals, lubricants and other important components."

"Alright. So, do you want to head up that latter over there or go through the tunnel at the far end that was across from us when we came in?"

"Lets check out the far end and see where that goes first."

They headed across the basement of the powerhouse and John was still amazed by how big the underground structure was. It would sure have been really neat to watch them build the place and he had to admit that the place was damn cool. Too bad Jessica seemed to be on the verge of breaking down into tears but Cameron was doing a good job of helping her along.

John led the way again into the new area but this time he went slowly and stayed close to Cameron. As they walked through the tunnel to the next area John kept looking at the large shock absorbers that ran across the wall.

"Hey Cam, why do they have these shock absorbers all over the place?"

"They are used to damped the shocks of nuclear attacks and earthquakes. The whole facility is built on a set of springs and shock absorbers and the inner chamber, what we are walking across, moves independently of the reinforced concrete exterior."

"Whoa, that sure is some serious planning."

"Yes. The US built facilities included plans for just about anything."

John resumed walking and felt a growing appreciation for the place even if it was a bit musty and the air was incredibly stale. He was drawn from his thoughts as he heard a sudden dull thud and a loudly cursing Jessica.

"Are you all right?", John asked.

"Yes. I just hit my head on something and it really hurts."

"I think I saw some hardhats in the office in the powerhouse. Cam can you run grab one real quick for her?"

Cameron ran back over to the small office in the powerhouse and found a hardhat that looked like it would fit Jessica well. John and her didn't have any trouble since they weren't very tall but Jessica, at just over 6 feet tall, was going to have a hard time in the place. While the height of the tunnels came in at 8 feet 6 inches that was only at their peak and they had lots of tubes and pipes running inside of them creating a hazard to tall people like Jessica. As she prepared to leave she noticed a few volumes on the desk titled 'Technical Manual - Operation and Organizational Maintenance' and made a note in her system to collect these later. She then ran back over to John and Jessica and noticed that Jessica's head was swelling up already.

"Here is the hardhat but be really careful with your head. I don't want you to get a concussion."

"Thanks Cameron. I will make certain to wear it as much as possible."

After a few minutes they moved on and the tunnel opened up to another very large room, a dome in fact, and it appeared to have a ceiling about 40 feet high and diameter of about 100 feet, and it had a large number of ducts and fans running throughout the center of the place and by one wall was a huge number of control panels and on the other a large shelf with a bunch of fifty gallon barrels most likely filled with some chemical. John walked over to the control panel and looked at the various meters and controls. Several of them were related to fan speed and had a CO2 indicator as well as a filter replacement indicator. He looked over at the far wall and noticed several labels that read 'Sodium Hydroxide' printed on the barrels. Now where had he heard that chemical name before?

"Any idea what this place is?"

"I think it is an air recycling center", replied Jessica.

"Correct. This place has everything needed to recycle the breathable air in the facility. Also, the lines that are running into the place and terminate in the blowers appear to be oxygen lines."

"How much air can this place filter?"

"Based on the layout and size I would suspect it could filter and process about 3.1 million cubic feet of air a minute which means that the size of this base might be larger than I suspected. If you look at those large 15 foot in diameter tubes entering from both sides of the place I suspect that in the far ends of the base we will find corresponding tubes. Some exhausting the air processed here and others inhaling air for processing."

John paused and looked around with his flashlight at all the equipment in the place. Sure it was huge and the large boxes, almost like stacks of walk in freezers, which had to contain the filters and the fans made him feel tiny but the idea of moving that much air in a single minute was hard to imagine. He wondered just how loud it was in here when the place was in operation.

"Do you think the system still works, Cam?"

"Perhaps. I would imagine that the fans are fine and we will only need to oil and lube their components but we will have to look closely at the supply of Sodium Hydroxide and check to see if it is usable otherwise we will have to purchase a large supply of it. However, with this facility as part of the base the dangers of poison gas have been effectively removed."

"We don't have to worry about the Sodium Hydroxide because it is very east to make. With Cameron's help we could build a machine to reprocess what is available or used up and also make some from scratch."

"All right Jessica! That is the kind of stuff I just love to hear. How about you make this one of your first projects then?"

"Yes sir!"

It was very hard to not keep the silly grin from forming on her face as she said it but it felt like the correct response and the laugh she got from John was nice. She was also starting to feel a bit better as they moved through the place. She would feel a ton better once they got the power systems running and they could use the lights.

"Cam, you think we need to do anything else in here?"

"No, John. Let's go check out the second floor of the powerhouse."

They made their way back through the connecting tunnel with Jessica keeping to the center as much as possible and John was the first to begin the climb up the ladder to the second floor. After all three of them had finished the climb of about 20 feet they began to look around. The light from John's flashlight revealed a small gantry for a person to walk across and he whistled at the four incredibility large pumps that were sitting between the gantry and wall.

"Cam what are those pumps for?"

"The hydraulic systems throughout the base will be powered by these pumps. They can move several thousand gallons of hydraulic fluid a minute and at very high pressures."

"Wow. Is there anything in this place that isn't built with the theory of overkill?"

"I don't understand John. The place is designed according the specs listed in the plans for the structure. There isn't anything that is an overkill by following the plans."

Every now and then Cameron would say something like that to remind him that while she seemed like a regular human in most ways she was still very logical and special. He looked over at Jessica and noticed her trying very hard to hold in a laugh and he was a little surprised that Jessica just didn't let go ahead and laugh herself silly. Oh well, they had work to do.

"Don't worry about it Cam. So is that large tank over there a reservoir for the hydraulic fluid?"

"Yes it is. I can take a quick look at the fluid in there and we can see what will be needed to restore the system to operational capacity. Would you like me to do that?"

"That would be great."

Cameron climbed up the little latter on the side of the tank and then opened the cap and peered inside at the hydraulic fluid and quickly became confused. She put her hand out and let a few drops settle on her skin and began a complete analysis of the fluid.

**PERFORM ANALYSIS OF FLUID  
ANALYZING PLEASE WAIT........DONE  
LIST PROPERTIES OF FLUID (Y/N)?**

**FLUID IS SUITABLE FOR HIGH PRESSURE HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS WITH A MAXIMUM PRESSURE OF 20,000 PSI  
FLUID OPERATING TEMPERATURE IS FROM -170 TO 850 CELSIUS  
FLUID IS SYNTHETIC AND POSSES CHEMICAL STABILIZERS AND DETERGENTS  
FLUID IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND HAS NOT BROKEN DOWN INTO BASE COMPONENTS  
FLUID LACKS CONTAMINANTS AND DOES NOT NEED TO BE FILTERED  
FLUID CAN BE USED IN ALL TERMINATOR HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS  
FLUID HAS A LARGER OPERATING RANGE AND SUPERIOR STABILITY PROPERTIES THAN CURRENT TERMINATOR HYDRAULIC FLUIDS**

**LISTING COMPLETE**

Cameron was stunned. She continued to stare at the fluid wondering how such an advanced hydraulic fluid could be present in such an old base that she suspected hadn't seen any human presence in at least 38 years. She heard John speaking to her but she wasn't really paying it any mind at the moment.

"CAM! What's wrong?"

She felt John's hand on her leg as he tried to get her attention and it pulled her out of her stupor.

"Sorry, I'm just shocked by this hydraulic fluid and I got lost in my thoughts."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing."

John was confused now. Why did Cameron sit there unmoving and ignore his calls to her if nothing was wrong. He was definitely missing something and he was just about to ask when Jessica spoke up.

"It's prefect isn't it?"

Cameron turned to look at Jessica with an expression of shock and surprise.

"How did you know?"

"I have been looking at all the little details really closely. Haven't either of you noticed that aside from the open barrels of diesel fuel we haven't found a bunch of leaks or rusted out pipes? Now take a look at the seals on these hydraulic pumps."

Now that Jessica mentioned it, John could see what she was talking about. The base didn't seem like an abandoned facility left to rot but more like a sleeping one. He helped Cameron down and then they made their way over to Jessica and looked at the seals and connections on the pumps. Not a single leak and they seemed almost brand new and you could mistake them as brand new if you excused the dust that had built up.

"What do you think Cam?"

"The seals are all a superior synthetic material like the fluid and I doubt they will give us any trouble when we start up the system."

"Alright, I wasn't expecting that. Lets examine all the barrels of fluids and lubricants and then see what we can turn up on this floor and the one below. I then want to see if we might actually be able to start one of those generators."

They spent the next hour looking at everything and found a large amount of reserve hydraulic fluid and lubricants for the generators. Cameron had found a toolkit and had taken apart some of the key components of one the generators and told them that nothing was wrong with it, aside from a little priming the engine should work. The biggest surprise they found was that the batteries for the electrical systems were all dry and that there were several containers of electrolyte and once they filled up the batteries all they would need to do is charge them. Cameron was currently examining the electrical controls while Jessica was checking out the fuel tanks.

"Does it look like everything will work?"

"Yes. After memorizing the manuals that were present in the shop I have turned everything off so that we can power up the systems one at a time. Also, I don't want to just turn everything on because we don't have any idea what else might be down here."

"Sounds good to me."

Jessica chose that moment to come down the latter after having checked out the fuel tanks.

"One tank is full of kerosene and it is in good shape since kerosene doesn't age much as it sits around. According to the labels there is 10,000 gallons of the stuff in fuel tank number 2. Fuel tank number 4 is empty and it holds one million gallons of diesel fuel but I'm not sure how in the heck we are going to get that much fuel all the way out here."

"What about tanks 1 and 3?", asked John.

"Those don't exist John. For some reason the tanks are labeled 2 and 4 and tank 4 is actually made up of two 580,220 gallon fuel tanks," supplied Cameron.

"That sure is odd. Anything else of interest Jessica?"

"Not really. I did open up the value on tank number 2 so that you can get fuel to the generator. However I would bleed the line because I bet there is a lot of air in them right now."

John had Cameron go ahead and use the manual hydraulic pump to raise the generator air shaft. It was rather fun watching her move so quickly and it only took her about ten minutes to do the work but he suspected that between Jessica and him it would have taken over an hour. Jessica began to clap when Cameron was done and Cameron just raised an eyebrow at her in response.

"Oh come on Cameron, that was almost like watch some strange performance."

"Well I'm glad you liked it. How about we head back up and get the generator, fill up the batteries, and then try to start one of the generators?"

It took a little over an hour to head back up to the Jeep and get the little generator they had. John was sure glad that they would later have an elevator to ride because that climb back up the stairs was a real killer. Both he and Jessica looked like they had just sprinted a quarter mile while Cameron looked as fresh as ever. He really wished he was like her right then.

Cameron carefully filled up the batter packs and John connected up the generator. They couldn't run it very long because of the fumes it would create but they just needed to get enough of a charge in the batteries so that they could sustain the basic electrical system.

"I'm all set Cam. How about you?"

"I'm ready as well John."

"Great. Once we get this thing running how about we head over to the portal to avoid the fumes?"

"Good idea John," replied Jessica.

John started up the generator and they left to go wait by the portal for a while as the generator charged up the batteries. While waiting John decided it would be a good idea to ask Cameron what she thought about the origin of the hydraulic fluid they found.

"Hey Cam where do you think that hydraulic fuild came from?"

"I don't know John but if I had to guess I would say the future."

"Wait. You can't send back non-living things so how could the fluid be from the future?"

"Sorry John. What I meant is that the knowledge to create it is came from the future."

"I'm not so sure, I remember reading about how the government had used synthetic fluids for a long time but they didn't get put into commercial use until the technology used to make them at a much cheaper price became more widespread."

"Very true Jessica but the technology present in the fluid is more advanced than the stuff Skynet used for me. To me that suggests that something else is involved."

"I guess your right."

John thought for a while and couldn't come up with any ideas himself over the origin of the fluid. He hoped that they would find more manuals about the place in the various areas and that it would explain more about what is going on.

"I think we will just have to find more of those technical manuals. I hope that more of them will be present around the place."

"I agree John. Such pieces of information will provide us with the best source of information while our discussion will lead us nowhere at the present since we are lacking too much hard evidence."

"Cam, how long has it been?"

"About 20 minutes. You two wait here and I will go take care of the generator since I won't pass out from the exhaust fumes."

"Alright."

Cameron walked off back to the powerhouse and Jessica came over and stood by John. John noticed that she was biting her lip and decided to ask her what was on her mind.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Well, you know how you said you felt as if this place was welcoming you?"

"Yeah."

"Well to me it feels more like we have violated a tomb that wasn't meant to be opened."

"Don't worry Jessica, I'm sure things will be fine. You are just feeling that because it is dark, cold and stale in here. Once we get more people here with us and get all the systems running this place will really start to feel warmer and like a home."

"I sure hope you're right John."

"I am."

Cameron came back in and looked at John and Jessica. She had been able to hear the last part of their conversation with her enhanced hearing and agreed with John. Once more people were running around in the base it would 'liven up', as humans often put it, and Jessica wouldn't have to worry. However, Cameron had to admit that she was a bit anxious over what else might be present in the base if something so simple as hydraulic fluid could present such a large mystery.

"John I have it turned off and moved it out of the way. The fumes at present don't present much of a health risk but they do smell quite bad. Do you want to wait or go in now?"

"Lets go in now. As soon as we get a generator running then we can see about opening up the portal which would allow for some air movement."

"Only a little. We need to get the air recycling center running first."

John just shrugged and then pulled Jessica along with him as they made their way back over to the generators. As they entered the room John could see a large haze in the air that hung down from the ceiling and he thought it smelled really bad. Jessica began to cough a bit so John opened up the office door, glad he had closed it before they started the generator, and told her wait in there as Cameron and him started up the generator. She agreed because the window in the office would allow her to see everything but he could tell she was still rather nervous about being even this short distance away from them.

"So, what do I need to do Cam?"

"As I manually turn over the generator I need you to engage the fuel pump. It should fire right up but since we only have a minimum charge in the batteries we have to manually control the fuel pump. Once the engine is running I will bring it up to the correct speed and then signal for you to engage the generator mechanism."

"Sounds good."

John got over to the control panel Cameron indicated and made sure he understood how to engage the fuel pump correctly. Once he was happy with it he indicated to Cameron that she could begin. Cameron put on some welding gloves and grabbed the flywheel that connected the engine to the generator transmission and made sure the clutch wasn't engaged. After verifying that everything was to her satisfaction she positioned both of her hands on the flywheel and gave it a mighty turn. John engaged the fuel pump and with an immense amount of banging and shaking the engine came to life.

Cameron quickly ran over to the controls and revved the engine up to its operational speed and examined all of the gauges. Upon seeing nothing wrong with any of them she motioned for John to get on the controls to the generator. As soon as John was setup he gave her the all ready signal and then she hollered for him to engage the transmission.

He flipped the switch and heard the clutch begin to engage the engine and soon began to hear a loud high pitched whine as the generator mechanism began to spin up to operational speed. Once he saw that the gauges were all in the green he yelled at Cameron asking her if it was ok to engage the main circuit. She signaled back to him that it was and he flipped the main breaker and then screamed and jumped back as a huge spark arced across the gap. Upon hearing John's scream Cameron ran over to him but he had already begun to pick himself off the floor.

"John are you alright?!"

"Yes! The spark from the main circuit just surprised the heck out of me!"

"Alright. Lets engage the breakers to the fuel pump and battery charger before the batteries die."

"Great idea."

Cameron ran over to the control panel and engaged the main feeder circuit and then enabled power to the battery charger, fuel pumps, and the lighting circuits for the powerhouse. As she enabled the circuit for the lights, several of the lights in the powerhouse came to life.

Jessica jumped as the desk light next to her flickered to life and she had to admit when John screamed and jumped away from the generator she had screamed too. John and Cameron made their way to the office and stepped inside with Jessica.

"Well now we have one thing done. Now we should see about getting the hydraulic systems on-line as well as the air recycling systems. That sound good to you Cam?"

"Yes. How are you doing Jessica?"

"Pretty good. I have to admit though that when I saw that spark and heard John scream I freaked out a bit."

"Yea, well it scared me really bad too. Anyways the place doesn't seem nearly as bad now with the lights on does it?"

"Definitely. It will really help not having to walk around in the dark."

John was about to say something else when he felt something come into focus in the back of his mind. His gift was speaking to him and he knew that somewhere inside this base an enemy had just woken up. Cameron noticed John's change of expression and began to search the nearby area carefully for any enemies but saw nothing. What she didn't know what that as she enabled power to the main feeder circuits an old enemy was allowed to wake up from a long slumber with a mission it fully intended to complete this time.

* * *

**Notes:** Yes a cliff hanger. I hadn't done one in a while and thought it would be fun to end at this point.


End file.
